UNIVERSO BASOAK ROAD
The multi-stage ROAD routes through the forests of the BASQUE PYRENEES
Road cycling tours by stages in the Atlantic Pyrenees
BASOAK is the quintessential road cycling tour of the Basque Pyrenees and the North of Spain. A multi-stage route that combines in a single journey the mileage of the classic cycling tours of Navarre and Gipuzkoa with the modern, tough mountain passes of the northern Pyrenees of Navarre and the French Basque Country.
- Options from 3 to 7 stages -
THE ROUTE
BASOAK ROAD is a UNIVERSE of road cycling stages taking place mainly in the PYRENEES known as Western or Atlantic; from Bearn and the borders with Aragon to the vicinity of the Cantabrian Coast and the Basque Mountains, a territory visually dominated in its entirety by an intermittent combination of meadows and forests.
BASOAK = FOREST in the Basque language, the one traditionally spoken in the territory.
The different combinations of stages result in the various options of the BASOAK ROAD UNIVERSE.
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The specific geographical area where we will be pedaling BASOAK therefore encompasses the entire north of Navarre, the south of Gipuzkoa, and the French Basque Country.
Regarding the sporting aspect, in BASOAK we will encounter 3 well-differentiated cycling environments and styles. To put it simply: Navarrese Mid-mountains, tricky Basque "walls" (our "little devils"), and Pyrenean Giants.
The philosophy of the route in all its proposals is to practice "sportive cycle tourism", but ensuring that at the end of the day there is enough energy left for more than just lying down to rest while waiting for dinner. That is, the duration of the stages should allow us, upon finishing, enough time to get to know —even just a little— the place where we are. Whether that is jumping into a pool, walking through a forest, wandering through a village, or reading a book.
However, if what you need is to keep pedaling and "eat" kilometers, take note that all proposals have their PLUS Option.
In the maps shown below, we provide a brief summary of the different options within the BASOAK ROAD UNIVERSE to help with your route decision-making.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT ONE FOR YOU
A 6 or 7 stages route through the Atlantic Pyrenees, Navarre, and the Basque Country.
The 12.180 meters of climbing in the BASOAK PYRENEES option -18.060 in its PLUS version- include the classic mountain passes of the Navarrese cycling tours, Urbasa, Uitzi, Etxauri... the "walls" of the Basque classics, Gaintza, Aztiria, La Antigua... and the new, tough, and "modern" mountainpasses —some already discovered for professional cycling— of the Basque Pyrenees: Inharpu/Ahuski, Munhoa, Arnostegi, along with more established ones like Bagargi, Issarbe, Larrau, and La Pierre de San Martín.
A 5-stage route concentrated in the Atlantic Pyrenees.
The itinerary crosses the Pamplona Basin and Baztan in the first section, later venturing into the "heart" of the surprising, solitary and —it must be said— steep mountain passes of Irati and La Soule in the French Basque Country. A cluster of Mountain passes that we won't leave behind until the middle of the final stage, which will bring us back a bit more smoothly to the starting point in Pamplona.
A 4-stage route with a first half through the Navarrese Mid-Mountains; the Pamplona Basin and Baztan, and a second part through the Pyrenean Giants.
A 4-stage route in 2 x H format - 2 nights per hotel -
The itinerary straddles the Baztan region in Navarre and the mountain passes on the northern slope of the Irati Forest in the French Basque Country.
A 3-stage route concentrated in the Atlantic Pyrenees.
An itinerary that combines a classic-style 1st stage through Northern Navarre and the Baztan Valley, with 2 other absolutely Dolomitic stages through the unknown mountain passes of the northern slopes of the Basque Pyrenees.
A 3-stage route. The most "docile" option within the BASOAK ROAD UNIVERSE.
2 stages through the Navarrese Mid-Mountains; the Pamplona Basin and Baztan, and a final stage with a "strong taste" of Pyrenean Giants.
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