Víctor Merino

The day dawns sunny and clear. This short stage will take me to Nigrán. I will travel along the southern slope of the Vigo estuary, with the Cíes Islands continuously on the horizon.

The departure via Redondela is really pretty, following a river walk that leads to Punta Portela. From here the route loses

During the night at Camping Monte Cabo it did not stop raining. A light but persistent rain. It is time to dismantle the camp with this fine and intense rain, which stops shortly before finishing the task. I start pedalling on a rather dark day that will not clear up a bit until I reach Bueu, where I

The queen stage, not because of the gradient or the mileage, but because of the places to be covered and the surface of most of the route. I plan to go around the island of Arousa, the island of O Grove and the island of La Toja. The latter is small and completely on asphalt, but both Arousa and O Grove

After cycling the 16 kilometres from Nigrán – where I have my base camp – to Vigo, I take the regional train to Santiago de Compostela. Once there, at midday and after eating something, I begin the short stage that will take me almost to Vilagarcía de Arousa. I choose not to go through Padrón to avoid

The return to Nigrán, inland, travelling along the southern slope of the Lima River along the eco-road to Ponte de Lima and, after crossing the river, a hill that coincides in some of its sections with the old Via Romana XIX, takes me to Valença, on the natural border of Spain along the Miño River. From

Although it is the fifth stage of the route, it was the first one I did, as I had my base camp in Nigrán and the plan was to leave the car there, ride to Viana do Castelo along the coast and return the next day through the interior, passing through Valença and Tui, riding along the banks of the Miño

Today the Vuelta a España passes through the area. Stage 10 starts in Ponteareas, climbs Alto da Groba from Mougás and descends towards Cabo Silleiro to finish in Baiona. That is why I decide, accompanied by my friend Juan Carlos —who is in Nigrán—, to do a route to cover the area near this town, climbing

After just a couple of kilometres, it's time for the first climb of the day, the demanding Puerto de la Estranguada from Merilla - the Vuelta a España will pass through this port in the opposite direction - 5 kilometres with an average gradient of 7% and ramps of 14%. A very nice climb, with a false

Time in motion: 6:25:03

Average speed: 16.7 km/h

[By joining the tracks, Komoot reflects the total time with stops]



After undoing the 9 kilometers from Villalázara to Espinosa de los Monteros and having breakfast in the town square, I begin the route to Ramales de la Victoria. It was going to be about 50

From Cantabria to Burgos I walk through the morning mist along the Ebro reservoir, crossing the Special Protection Zone for Birds of the Ebro. Built between 1921 and 1945 —and inaugurated in 1952—, it is one of the largest in Spain. It collects water from the Cantabrian Mountains —much of it comes from