Started this route in Cadiz March 31st and ended April 16th in Cazorla. I took the Altravesur (by Logan Watts) from Cadiz to Antequera, then switched to the Travesia (by Zoe Chauderlot) from then on because of the heinous singletrack I encountered on the Altravesur. Original plan was to pick the Altravesur back up from Cazorla and do another 350 miles to Valencia, but had to come home early for various reasons.
Camping was easy to find and abundant, food was cheap, small towns with cafes were plentiful (normally once or twice per day), and the weather was super mild with only one day of rain and most days in the high 60’s/low 70’s (20’s C).
Still, I was very surprised with how few bikepackers I saw out there. I camped and rode alone every day, and saw a total of about 10 other people bikepacking (always a different route or another direction). With the exception of train and bus travel, it was pretty smooth bringing my bike along for things like shopping for food, hostels, restaurants, etc. Everything was super cheap compared to the US, people were super friendly and helpful (although pretty reserved in the small towns), and the route felt decently tame in terms of remoteness. Still, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard, and what it lacked in wilderness it made up for in mud, unrideable singletrack, and long climbs.
I rode a stock Surly Bridge club with 2.4″ tires, which I feel was adequate. I wasn’t set up tubeless and only got 2 flats on the whole route. I also learned that hydro disc brakes aren’t infallible and noticed at some point during the trip that my bike was very slowly leaking brake fluid from the connection between the lever and housing whenever I turned it upside down (damn you Tektro). Switched to Shimano brakes as soon as I came home.
Regardless, it was a great trip and I feel like a good introduction to solo international bikepacking. I purposefully chose a route that was a bit more tame in terms of wilderness and cultural differences, but for the next one I am looking for more wilderness and less Western culture. TBD. In total, 8/10 would ride again.
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Started this route in Cadiz March 31st and ended April 16th in Cazorla. I took the Altravesur (by Logan Watts) from Cadiz to Antequera, then switched to the Travesia (by Zoe Chauderlot) from then on because of the heinous singletrack I encountered on the Altravesur. Original plan was to pick the Altravesur back up from Cazorla and do another 350 miles to Valencia, but had to come home early for various reasons.
Camping was easy to find and abundant, food was cheap, small towns with cafes were plentiful (normally once or twice per day), and the weather was super mild with only one day of rain and most days in the high 60’s/low 70’s (20’s C).
Still, I was very surprised with how few bikepackers I saw out there. I camped and rode alone every day, and saw a total of about 10 other people bikepacking (always a different route or another direction). With the exception of train and bus travel, it was pretty smooth bringing my bike along for things like shopping for food, hostels, restaurants, etc. Everything was super cheap compared to the US, people were super friendly and helpful (although pretty reserved in the small towns), and the route felt decently tame in terms of remoteness. Still, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard, and what it lacked in wilderness it made up for in mud, unrideable singletrack, and long climbs.
I rode a stock Surly Bridge club with 2.4″ tires, which I feel was adequate. I wasn’t set up tubeless and only got 2 flats on the whole route. I also learned that hydro disc brakes aren’t infallible and noticed at some point during the trip that my bike was very slowly leaking brake fluid from the connection between the lever and housing whenever I turned it upside down (damn you Tektro). Switched to Shimano brakes as soon as I came home.
Regardless, it was a great trip and I feel like a good introduction to solo international bikepacking. I purposefully chose a route that was a bit more tame in terms of wilderness and cultural differences, but for the next one I am looking for more wilderness and less Western culture. TBD. In total, 8/10 would ride again.