ASFPALT

very hard

ALMADIEROS

Distance: 188km   Unevenness: 2660m

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The Museum of the Almadía is found in Burgi. It keeps the memory of one of the professions which for years gave rhythm to the economy and therefore to the life of these valleys. "Almadieros" is our small contribution to the safeguarding of that memory.
We will ride along the river banks and the forest where log driving was a common activity and through the forest that for so long was the prime material for the encouragement and continuing of these activities.

Tres fotos fijas

We have designed 2 demanding tours from Isaba to the south. The initial claim was clearly having, as commonly said, "a bullet in the chamber" for those days where bad weather and cold cling to the Pyrenean ports contradicting the calendar.

Then, when we have been touring the routes, we have "discovered" that they are not a second option... and that they are not just a simple joke. And here is where we start to see that “it has something...” I don’t know... intangible, maybe as always, the attraction of the desert or at least of the desert-like is what brings those emotions up. Long road stretches, with more risk of wild boars than of cars, to then arrive to villas that cannot hide a much busier past than their current one.

In short: Long stretches of South which lead the mind to a state of different.

Almadieros is the toughest of the two routes to the South. The other one is Extremo Sur.

perfil

Itinerarie: Isaba NA 137 - Roncal - NA176 - Garde - Pto. Matamachos A176 - HU2021 Fago - Majones - HU2022 - N240 - A1601 Ruesta - Pto. Cuatro Caminos - Navardún - A127 Sos del Rey Católico - Sangüesa NA127 - N240 - NA150 Lumbier - NA 178 Pto. Iso - Navascués - Ezcároz NA140 - Ochagavía - Pto. Laza - Isaba

Route on Wikiloc map

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Travel description

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Comenzamos descendiendo hacia el sur hasta un poco después de Roncal donde giramos a la izquierda, junto a la ermita de San Martín, en busca de Garde. A 4 kilómetros de Garde comienza la ascensión, 5 kilómetros escasos a casi un 7% de pendiente media con algunas rampas que superan el 10% en el último kilómetro.

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Después de echar el vistazo de rigor a los valles y a las montañas del Pirineo aragonés, que comenzamos a abandonar, descendemos a buscar en apenas 1,5 kilómetros el cruce que nos dirige a Fago, a su foz, a Majones, a Villarreal de la Canal... Durante más de 22 kilómetros pedaleamos en dirección contraria a la popular ruta cicloturista La Jacetania.

Alcanzada la cuenca del Aragón continuamos por la NA240 dirección Pamplona. La autovía del Pirineo se ha llevado el tráfico, así que podemos creer ver almadías a lo largo de los 9 kilómetros que nos separan del punto donde abandonaremos la nacional para tomar rumbo sur en dirección a Sos del Rey Católico.

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Tras dejar atrás el pueblo abandonado de Ruesta, nos encontramos la segunda dificultad montañosa de la jornada, los 250 metros de desnivel del puerto de Cuatro Caminos con sus 6 km al 4%. De lo alto nos dejamos caer (7,5 km al 5%) hasta Navardún, en la cuenca del Onsella. De aquí nos quedan 7 kilómetros tranquilos entre tierras de labranza, antes de volver a esforzarnos un poco para ascender hasta la villa de Sos del Rey Católico (2 km al 5%), que a modo de faro terrestre ordena el paisaje y orienta a todo tipo de viajeros en muchos kilómetros a la redonda. Nos quedan aún 82 kilómetros, pero estamos en un sitio que invita al avituallamiento.

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Dejamos atrás la villa, en cómodo descenso, hasta buscar Sangüesa, donde abandonamos la cuenca del Onsella para entrar en la del río Irati. Tras dejar Liédena a nuestra derecha y sin más dificultades que alguna rampa y algún sube-baja, alcanzaremos Lumbier. Seis kilómetros más tarde, tras pasar Domeño, comienza el suave ascenso al puerto de Iso (4 km al 4%).

A los 2 kilómetros de descenso podemos detenernos en el espectacular mirador de la Foz de Arbayún. Tras un bonito descenso nos encontraremos a la orilla del Salazar, que será nuestro acompañante durante 7 kilómetros de suave ascenso hasta Navascués.

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Seguiremos por la cuenca del Salazar remontándolo en suave pero constante pendiente, mientras vamos atravesando numerosos pueblos típicos de la zona: Uscarrés, Güesa, Sarries, Esparza, Oronz, Escároz, Ochagavía, Izaltzu... hasta encontrarnos con la última dificultad montañosa de la jornada, el puerto de Laza (1100 m, 3 km a 6,5%) que franquearemos para volver a pasar al valle de Roncal y atravesando Uztárroz llegaremos a Isaba.

Criteria of graduation of the routes

We are where we are, in the Atlantic Pyrenees, with a plain to the North with localities at very low altitude and ports that are close to the 2000m range.
The southern slope is more "human", towns are in a higher altitude and the slopes are not so important.
The vast majority of the routes cover the ports of the "greats": Issarbe, La Piedra de St Martin, Laberouat, Bagargi, Artaburu, Arnostegi, Ahuski, Larrau...with slopes ranging between 1000 and 1700 meters. Some routes ascent one of these ports, others 2 or 3 and even more.
We anticipated this so the criteria are clear for each 6 levels that we have chosen for the ranking of the routes.

  1. Walks or family routes: Routes with light slopes and little travel. Suitable for untrained family groups or for people who usually don't use the bike.
  2. Easy: Routes with a slope that can reach 1000 meters but facing none of the large ports.
    The distance will range between 40 and 60 kilometers.
  3. Moderate: Routes with one of the "great" ports or a combination of similar difficulty. The slopes can be really important and slopes can range between 1000 and 2000 meters.
    An example of "moderate" is the Artzaiak S stage through Bagargi. The port is tough, but it is the only major difficulty of the day, i.e. we have the whole day for this task, that’s why we left it in "moderate"..
    The distance will vary between 60 and 100 kilometers.
  4. Hard: Routes with a slope ranging around 2500 meters. There may have to ascend 2 ports of the "greats" or one and several of the "minor".
    The distance will vary between 90 and 130 kilometers. An example of how difficult it can be, will be the short route of the well-known Larra-Larrau.
  5. Very hard: Routes ranging from the 2500 and 4000 meters of altitude. Sometimes there may have to ascend the 3 ports of the '' greats ''. The distance will exceed the 100 kilometers and may reach the 200.
    The long route of Larra-Larrau is one of the exponents of how difficult this route is.
  6. Challenge: In these times there is a public that demands "more" yet. To them arises the concept of "challenge": stages of more than a day in "non-stop" mode, 4500-5000 or even more meters of altitude routes, individual or group time trial with 3000 meters of altitude and over 100 kilometers of route.
    Finally, a variety of what riders would usually call "nonsense" which to be more elegant, here we call it, 'Challenges'.
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Altimetrys of ports in other web sites
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foto de pie de pagina: bosque
pie de pagina: bosque