We could say that the Etxauri pass is the prototype climb in the Mid-Zone. A 6.8-kilometer route with a 430-meter elevation gain, equal parts sun and shade, and excellent viewpoints—with or without railings—overlooking much of NAVARRE and neighboring regions. Its location directly above the Pamplona Basin, combined with the spectacular setting beneath the walls of the climbing school, makes this pass a staple in most routes west of PAMPLONA.

In the photographs, the 2017 Euskal Itzulia peloton ascends beneath the pass's cliffs. In the foreground, Movistar—led by the eventual winner of that edition, Alejandro Valverde—approaches the summit closely watched by Alberto Contador's Trek-Segafredo.

In the eastern corner of the region, in the Navarrese Pre-Pyrenees, the rivers flowing down from the mountains have carved a network of gorges: Lumbier, Arbaiun, Pandelo, Benasa, Ugarrón... Among them emerges a spectacular geography that, in some cases, can be explored on two wheels, offering routes for all skill levels.

The southern slope of the central Navarrese Pyrenees accounts for most of the kilometers in the popular "La Indurain" gran fondo. It is a gentle geography where low-difficulty passes like Erro, Mezkiritz, Lapitzea, and Igoli coexist with numerous villages of unique architecture. Much of the territory is marked by the Way of Saint James, meaning that in many sections we pedal parallel to the path where pilgrims are part of the landscape.

Its proximity to Pamplona makes it an ideal setting for less demanding routes. In other cases, it serves as the final leg for the great circular routes that combine the northern slope passes when starting from the south.
La Indurain 2016

The Medieval Village of Puente La Reina, with its stunning seven-arched Romanesque bridge over the Arga River, has become an unbeatable spot to enjoy the history of NAVARRE and everything related to the Way of Saint James.

The choice is ours: we can either cycle through easy routes on quiet parallel roads surrounding the Jacobean route and the pilgrims, or join the path itself and, taking advantage of our taxibike logistics, complete a point-to-point stage of the Way of Saint James to Logroño or even beyond.

In the image, Movistar and Sky battle for race control at the Guirguillano climb, near Puente La Reina.
Gran Premio Indurain 2017

Tierra Estella is, among many other things, a land of traditional cycling; its greatest exponent is the "Gran Premio Indurain" professional race held annually on its roads. It also possesses a sort of microclimate that often makes us consider its possibilities when the weather is uncertain.

Routes starting in Estella can take you to La Rioja or the Alavesa Mountains just as easily as to the Ebro riverbanks or the northern ranges and passes -Lizarraga, Urbasa, Opakua-.

The geography is gentle but not without its "traps," often featuring constant rolling terrain. In the images, a spring rainbow near Aritzala and a shattered race during the descent of Eraul towards Abárzuza during the 2017 Gran Premio Indurain. Ahead, Simon Yates was riding at full tilt toward the finish line at the Puy de Estella.

In the westernmost part of Northern Navarre, in the Aralar Range, Mount Artxueta and the Sanctuary of San Miguel stand as the landmarks for challenging cycling in the area.

If we want a tough route, we include the ascent from Uharte Arakil; if we want to soften it, we do it from Lekunberri. A safe bet for any Stage.

The cluster of routes—7 different ascents—that culminate at La Pierre Saint Martin or Portillo de Ernaz, combined with the massive elevation gains to be overcome from any of its slopes, make this 1,764-meter giant one of the mandatory "pilgrimage" sites in the Pyrenees.
The elevation gains are around 1,500 meters, and its difficulty reaches 417 APM points via the Issarbe option—a figure rarely seen in the Pyrenees and clearly above the range's mythical passes (Aubisque 255, Tourmalet 342, Luz-Ardiden 233).

In the top photo, the 2016 Vuelta a España peloton climbs the Sainte-Engrâce slope towards what is known as Col de Soudet, a midpoint between the village of Arette and the ski resort of the same name. This resort also hosted the finish of Stage 10 in the 2015 Tour de France, where Chris Froome "laid down the law," outclassing his rivals and securing the eventual overall win in the edition where La Pierre Saint Martin established itself as a legendary TOUR Pass.
In the bottom photo, Pic d'Anie watches over cyclists crossing the Larra Karst during their descent towards Belagua and Isaba during the 2013 Pax Avant event.

In our STAGES, we usually aim to include a combination route that features this giant, such as Isaba-Issarbe or the reverse route of the popular Larra-Larrau.

The Astakarri pass connects the northern and southern slopes of the Pyrenees through the Sorogain area. It links the Navarrese villages of the southern slope—Erro, Mezkiritz, Espinal...—with the Alduides Valley in the north.
Its location in the central part of the Navarrese Pyrenees and its proximity to other passes like Lindux and Urkiaga allow for exceptional route designs with varying difficulties and distances.

In the image, the "Sorogain Wall," a 500-meter section where the inclinometer fluctuates between 14% and 20%.

Cycling through the northern slope of the Irati Forest after climbing the 970 meters of Artaburu / Errozate automatically places you in the "Top Ten" for route quality in the range. Furthermore, if you continue towards the Bagargi and Larrau passes, you are entering Irati Extrem territory.

The atmosphere is simply perfect. In our Stages, we use our "taxibike strategy" to perform shorter segments of the route if desired.
Irati Extrem 2013

The Col de Inharpu, in the Arbailles massif, made its "public debut" as an appetizer in the queen stage of the 2016 Vuelta a España. That stage later climbed Soudet—via Sainte-Engrâce—Marie Blanque, and Aubisque. For "narrative purposes," organizers omitted that this unknown climb matched the legendary Aubisque in toughness (254 APM points in 10 km) compared to the Aubisque's (255 APM points in 17 km), the latter being the only one granted "Special Category" status. The Soudet was particularly underrated, as its 327 APMs made it the true King of the day despite its "First Category" label. While these are just cycling anecdotes, they warn us about the caliber of the terrain we are dealing with.

The network of narrow roads in the massif generates 4 different routes ending at nearby points with different names: Aphanize, Landerre, Inharpu... or more generally, Auski (a name that actually belongs to the nearby spa). This blend of geographic points creates an extraordinary setting where, once the pass is conquered, we ride along the top of the Arbailles Massif for a long time while looking for our chosen descent. This is 5-star cycling territory, rare in the world, and we always try to include it in our Stages.

In the photographs, Sky controls the peloton ahead of the edition's "big guns": Froome in white, Valverde in green, Quintana in red, and behind them in yellow, the Tinkoff team, which Alberto Contador rode for that year.

The road ascending to Col de Urdanzia—bottom photo—provides a "tough link" between Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry in the Nive basin and the road that connects Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Roncesvalles through the pass.

In cycle touring circles, this pass is known—or rather "little known"—as Munhoa, a name belonging to the mountain slope where the road reaches its maximum altitude (910 meters), which doesn't actually correspond to the pass itself. Its at least 5 different ascents range from tough to very tough, with an average elevation gain of 750 meters and many sections with double-digit percentages.

From any of its sides, the road rises spectacularly above the tamed meadows of Lower Navarre. With almost non-existent traffic and an atmosphere like the one captured in these photos, its inclusion in our Stages guarantees smiles at the end of the day.

The northernmost part of Navarre is often the warmest. Its proximity to the sea and low altitude create this microclimate. From the heights near Zugarramurdi, the Pyrenees continue until they sink into the Bay of Biscay, creating a series of passes we use for our routes. Otsondo, Urbia, Lizuniaga, Ibardin... for smooth rides; Artzamendi via Mondarrain—our favorite way—one of the toughest passes in the range, or Bagordi and Baigura if you are looking for some real "action".

In the images, the Bay of Biscay seen from the summit of Artzamendi, an encounter on the slopes of Baigura, and the 2016 Vuelta a España peloton between Zugarramurdi and Dantzarienea.

Straddling the French Basque provinces of Lower Navarre and Mauléon, the Arbailles massif stands slightly north of the central axis of the Pyrenees.

The road pass crossing the massif is known in cycling circles as Auski. With its 4 demanding ascents—all averaging around 800 meters of elevation gain—and its 5-star beauty, it has become one of our go-to destinations. The image shows the slope that was brought to fame by the 2016 Vuelta a España.

Established as a "TOUR pass" following its inclusion in the 1996 and 2007 editions, Larrau never ceases to be an object of desire.

Its stats speak for themselves: 1,200 meters of elevation gain and 369 APM points. Beyond its sheer difficulty, its appeal is bolstered by its stunning beauty and the lack of traffic on its asphalt. In this sense, we could talk about a 1 to 100 ratio compared to the legendary central passes of the Pyrenees. Given its location relative to Pamplona, including it in a route always requires combining it with another pass, meaning any option to climb it results in a demanding ride.

In our Stages, we seek different formulas to tackle it: from the standard routes of the Larra Larrau but starting in Otsagi instead of Isaba, to tougher and more obscure routes like the WAITING FOR GODOT challenge.
Larra-Larrau 2016

The various roads traversing the northern slope of the Irati Forest converge at the spot known as Chalets d'Irati or Col de Bagargi. The pass has three slopes, all spectacular but none of them easy.

From the west, we must first climb Artaburu or Burdinkurutzeta—both "major league" climbs. From the north, we face Ahuski via any of its 4 slopes—all of them tough—before tackling the spectacular ridge that leads from the Ahuski spa via the Col de Burdin Olatze to the summit (photo 1). From the east, starting in Logibar and passing through the village of Larrau (photo 2), we find an authentic TOUR pass, climbed during the 16th stage of the 2003 edition—following the Soudet—on the route between Pau and Bayonne.

The numbers don't lie: 326 APM points and several kilometers with average gradients exceeding 10%.
The aforementioned northern option is the one used by BASOAK, the 4-day stage route that explores northern NAVARRE.
As in other cases, and since Bagargi is not very close to Navarra, our Taxibike strategy allows us to access this pass without having to ride a full TOUR-length stage.

The Urkiaga pass is the most obvious gateway between the two sides of the Pyrenees if we draw a straight line from Pamplona towards France. On its northern slope, among the villages and farmsteads of Esnazu, Aldudes, Banka, and Urepel, we find a world "apart"—visually idyllic. The best-known route follows the main road, starting in Aldudes and passing through Esnazu, but the geographic complexity offers at least 3 other climbs: one more from Aldudes and two from nearby Urepel. All these routes converge at the Col d'Esnazu or Baztan Benta at an altitude of 755 meters, where the hardest part is behind us, though 6 kilometers still remain before reaching the summit at 911 meters.

On any of these ascents, the atmosphere remains pastoral but is by no means free of "traps" in the form of steep ramps. On some routes, you will hit gradients of up to 20%, and exceeding 15% is frequent across all options.

In photo 1, the spot known as Col de Garzéla, where one of the routes joins the main road. In photo 2, "Overflowing Nature" on the tough ramp leading out of the Col de Paradar, an intermediate point in two of the options.

Whether climbing or descending, via one slope or another, it is rare for the Urkiaga pass not to be crossed during one of our Stage days.

Occasionally, a cloud clings to the border line as if it knew about politics, forcing us to remain on the southern slope of the Pyrenean range. That is the moment to "set our wheels" on the southern slope of Larrau and head back the way we came. While the northern side is rugged and even aggressive, the southern slope is quite the opposite—gentle and soft—though it is still no walk in the park. It is the time to appreciate the lush expanse of the Irati Forest that lies beneath us throughout most of the climb. It is also the time to admire the unique character and striking architecture of the Navarrese villages in this corner of the Pyrenees.
In the photographs: a viewpoint over the Pyrenees, Otsagi, and the Irati Forest during the Larrau descent.

The Pyrenean slopes of the Iparralde region hide many surprises—some might call them traps—incredible walls that sometimes, to the cyclist's astonishment, boast asphalt as if they were prepared to host a Tour de France stage the very next day. This is the case with Urrizpilota, a serious 6.3-kilometer climb with 670 meters of elevation gain (10.6%), where the "final ramp"—the section from where the cyclist can be spotted in the photo to the summit—pits us against a 2-kilometer wall at 15.2%. All of this is set in an overflowing landscape that, as usual, we appreciate best from the top or during the descent.

Nearby, its neighbor Ixtauz offers even more staggering figures: 6.3 kilometers at 12%. In our Stages, this terrain is reserved for climbing fanatics or for those wanting to test how they might fare on their next Angliru.

We have saved for the end of this Northern Navarre chapter what could arguably be considered the "King of the Kingdom." With its 5 main different ascents, all of them featuring around 1,000 meters of elevation gain (along with several small variants that increase the possibilities), the Arnostegi Pass is finally shedding its status as a great unknown and taking its rightful place at the top.

Its easiest route—from Esterenzubi—has a coefficient of 268 APM points (Aubisque 255), while its most demanding version, known as Arnostegi via Bellurti, reaches 385 points in its toughest option. Remarkably, 358 of those points are earned in just 7 kilometers (the Tourmalet scores 342 in 23 kilometers).

This is the general rule: points are gained essentially due to extreme gradients rather than excessive mileage. To this, we must add the rewards: on top of the almost non-existent traffic typical of these lands, there is a beauty that literally takes your breath away—as if the incline weren't already doing so.

On some sections, we share the road with pilgrims who often provide us with extraordinary sights; in others, your gaze will fix upon the natural walls of the pre-Roman hillfort of Zerkupe... and always above us, near the pass, the Roman Tower of Urkulu... shepherd huts everywhere...
In short! Bucolic bliss at the end of the slope; that is what awaits you.