Timeline
Tom Shields went for a bike ride
July 10, 2026 at 06:24
Stage 20: Home - Sevilla to Vejer de la Frontera
Hecho.
Early train to San Fernando, slow ride home. One month on the road.
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Shapira (Dk) likes this.
Tom Shields went for a bike ride
July 9, 2026 at 06:26
Stage 19: Via de la Plata - Monestario to Seville
A great ride, lots of saddle time because today was about getting in the kilometers,. most of the way on gravel and small roads. I saw 100,000 olive trees, each one an individual, unique sprawls of gnarled limbs grasping outward and wrinkled old trunks hiding secrets, and about 500 cowsā¦
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Shapira (Dk) likes this.
July 9, 2026
What a ridešŖšš“š»āāļøā¤ļø
Tom Shields went for a bike ride
July 8, 2026 at 07:42
Stage 18: Via de la Plata - Zafra to Monestario
Great start in Madrid. So much art Iām dreaming images. Double checked with Renfe people that the bike was good all the way to Sevilla. The Antioch station is still a mess of construction, how many years? It doesnāt look like it has progressed at all.
Sure enough. Train stopsā¦
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Shapira (Dk) and Juliana like this.
Tom Shields went for a bike ride
July 3, 2026 at 07:58
Stage 17: Camino Norte (48.9 km) - Colunga to GijĆ³n
Lost Komoot 5 km short. So 48.9 km today. An easy ride, but irritating.
Left the Camino, and this ride was probably less interesting than any other on the trip. Too much time on the roads with weekend cars. Boring views, stops for ice tea at gas stations. I tookā¦
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Tom Shields went for a bike ride
July 2, 2026 at 08:36
Stage 16: Camino Norte - Llanes to Colunga
Gorgeous ride. Once clear of Llanes and Poo, a way of little towns, breezy trees in a mix of small lanes and dirt roads, the weather perfectā¦ enough sun but not too much, so the colors leapt at mid-day like it was still morning.
Up early, an easy ride aheadā¦
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Shapira (Dk) likes this.
Tom Shields went for a bike ride
July 1, 2026 at 07:30
Stage 15: Camino Norte - Santillana del Mar to Llanes
I write this in Llanes, on the top floor, a huge window looking out on the sea. I get to sleep with the ocean sounds and night sky.
Woke at 7am and lingered with coffee and toast at the albergue. More conversation with my Hungarian roommate, I should have askedā¦
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Shapira (Dk) likes this.
Tom Shields went for a bike ride
June 30, 2026 at 09:42
Stage 14: Camino Norte - Solares to Santillana del Mar
Laid over in Bilbao to repair the bike, got riding glasses too. The Guggenheim was closed but enjoyed the day, friendly people everywhere. Also, a fantastic trekking store. I am going to miss the Basque Country, healthy and fantastic food, good people, and everything justā¦ works. They are not insular,ā¦
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Shapira (Dk) and Juliana like this.
Tom Shields went for a bike ride
June 28, 2026 at 06:30
Stage 13: Camino Norte - to Bilbao
The storm knocked out power in our part of the monastery so no coffee, pilgrims cleared out fast. These are austere monks, the sleeping rooms are a bunch of cots scattered in a big room. I think that beer they make is so they can sleep on these rickety thingsā¦
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Juliana and Shapira (Dk) like this.
Tom Shields went for a bike ride
June 27, 2026 at 10:38
Stage 12: Camino Norte - to the monestary
Everyone had difficulty sleeping, the hostel was hot and humid, taking a second shower at 1am to cool off. Good sleep once it came, and a good group. So up at 8am and a coffee, wheeled the bike out at 8:30 to go and it had a flat tire. Iā¦
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Shapira (Dk), Jillanne and Juliana like this.
Tom Shields went gravel riding
June 26, 2026 at 10:07
Stage 11: Camino Norte - San Sebastian to Getaria
A short day for reasons of available rooms, but a great day for people and finding the rhythm of the Camino, and resetting my gear for the long road ahead.
MaĆ«l from France shared my hostel room as well as my insomnia, so we sat out on the roof talkingā¦
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Shapira (Dk) and Jillanne like this.
Tom Shields went gravel riding
June 25, 2026 at 09:50
Stage 10: Camino Norte - Irun to San SebastiƔn
Started the morning in Lourdes, I went to ground two days as the heat was hitting 42 C/ 107 F and where I was heading was the same. Bathed in the grotto waters of Saint Bernadette & sat in the church.. I had trained first south to Avignon (the centroā¦
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June 25, 2026
Hi Tom.
We love your texts.
Thank you so much.
ļ»æ
About the challenge with your bicycle, I think you should get some gaffa tape.
ļ»æ
I read somewhere that if you cannot fix it with gaffa tape, it was not broken to start with ššš
ļ»æ
Following your trip, and waiting for the next chapter.
Tom Shields went gravel riding
June 19, 2026 at 08:45
Stage 8: Escape heat to Baden-Baden
No, I didnāt hack my motor to sever the cut-out and ride 187km, I rode 8km to Singen and jumped a train to Baden-Baden. One of those 15-stops-at-every-village-and-let-on-the-teenager trains. That feeling we all know when days of travel are unwound with a few hours on a train.
Talked the wholeā¦
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Tom Shields went gravel riding
June 18, 2026 at 08:20
Schwarzwald Traverse - Stage 7 through Switzerland to Bietengen
I was so low last night and now Iām high again. What a day. The road lifted me. People did.
Last night I had sketched out riding to a train and going to Baden-Baden. I need a break, my body does but really I felt down, alienated. Something about Boondorfā¦
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Shapira (Dk) likes this.
June 19, 2026
Waww! What a day!!!!
Tom Shields went gravel riding
June 17, 2026 at 09:24
Schwarzwald Traverse - Stage 6 to Untermettigen
I awoke at 6 to the sun in huge double bed, made coffee and washed clothes in the sink. And more coffee. Fruit and sat outside reading. Today I leave the forest, heading to Lake Konstanz. I wanted an 80 km day because it is coming down from the mountains,ā¦
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Shapira (Dk), Patricia Lauth and Bob shields like this.
Tom Shields went gravel riding
June 16, 2026 at 07:38
Schwarzwald Traverse - Stage 5 to Lenzkirch
I love it here, Linzkurch. The opposite of Triberg in every way. Though I wanted to get out of Triberg fast, even the bakery was a bit of a downer, the way out was straight the fuck up. I stared and had another coffee first. Five climbs today? Somewhere Iā¦
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Shapira (Dk), Patricia Lauth and Werner like this.
June 17, 2026
I love reading your description of the day, but you must remember to listen to your body.
Take care my frind
July 10, 2026
Welcome home ā¤ļø