Vuelta a España 2018 - stages, bike hotel recommendations

[Ciavete]

Greetings Paceliners,

Any recommendations on stages to see, bicycle hotels to stay?

I've never been to Spain but have heard many testimonies about great cycling, food, wine, people. Girona always tops the list but the Vuelta is not passing nearby this year.

Hoping to finally go this fall. Any suggestions welcome. Gracias!

[rain dogs]

What are you hoping to do more precisely?

Watch a little of the Vuelta? Do a little sightseeing? Do a lot of riding?

Watch a lot of the Vuelta? Do a little sightseeing? Do a little riding?

Perhaps I'm biased, but based on the Vuelta route and the riding the best place to come to is the North this year if you want a lot of the Vuelta and a lot of riding.

The race is concentrated in two places - Andalucia/Murcia in the South (for the first 7 stages). But that is a TT, rolling stages and a mountain summit. The climate will be hot, the tourism excellent around Granada etc and riding in the Sierra Nevade will be nice although the race isn't there so much.

Then you have a bunch of stages in the North - two in Galicia/Leon, three in Asturias, one Santander, one Pais Vasco. Stages 11 through 17.

It's a pretty dense, rural area but you could in theory follow the race a bit. Again, perhaps biased but Asturias, where I live is perhaps the best cycling in Spain (when it's not raining). The stage goes to Lagos de Covadonga 80km from Oviedo which is as important to the Vuelta as Ventoux/Galibier? are to the Tour. From Oviedo, you also have the Angliru (40km) which is one of the most iconic climbs in all of cycling. Beyond that you have more climbs than you can count - San Lorenzo, Pajares, Cobertoria, El Fitu, La Farrapona, Somiedo, Gamoniteiro, Narranco... etc. etc. etc.

There is a lot here both in this race and in general. Asturias is a little bit the soul of the Vuelta -of late- anyway. But the riding is very, very, very climby here, some of the toughest in Europe (if you're into that kinda thing)

Let me know what you're looking to do and I can answer more specific questions.

[Ciavete]

Wow, thank you Rain Dogs. You've just given me some good homework to do; will report back.