BASOAK PYRENEES 7 Days of Sport Cycling in the Western Pyrenees

The route begins. Profesional Pelotón taking a walk through Pamplona before "starting BASOAK PYRENEES".
 Euskal Itzulia 2017

In the village of Etxauri begins the port of the same name, 6.8 kilometers with a slope that remains almost unchanged between 6 and 7% during the whole ascent. The road ascends to the left of the walls of the image.

The peloton seen from the edge of the road in the last kilometer of the Etxauri Mountain Pass
 Euskal Itzulia 2017

Etxauri Mountain Pass, everything under control.
 Euskal Itzulia 2017

Etxauri Mountain Pass, the road under the rocks of the Climbing School.

General view of the central area. We leave behind the basin of Pamplona and we will look for Tierra Estella.
 Euskal Itzulia 2017

Set of lines and curves. Aritzala, Tierra Estella.

The GP Indurain sharing tour with BASOAK PYRENEES.
 Grand Prix Indurain 2017

Descending Eraul Mountain Pass towards Abartzuza. In BASOAK we will have to upload it on this side.
 Grand Prix Indurain 2017

Descent from the Urbasa Mountain Pass towards Alsasua.

The day is ending. We are above Alsasua, between the Llanada Alavesa and the Barranca Navarra.

The privileged location of the Sakana Valley for the practice of bicycle tourism is one of the reasons that make the second stage of BASOAK PYRENEES consist of a circular route.
Our PUNTO BIKE in Arbizu is the westernmost of BASOAK PYRENEES. From there we will make an incursion into the interior of the province of Gipuzkoa, extending the route further west. The geography changes, the environment changes and the style of cycling changes. The result is, on the one hand, greater ease when it comes to planning the trip, and on the other hand, one more step in the quality of the route as a whole; something that we will appreciate in all its dimension when once finished the route we make memory of the experience.

Aizpea mining reserve in the track of the PLUS option of the second stage, a nice excuse to add one more wall to the route.

Between two "walls", repose of the warrior in the medieval village of Zerain.

We continue with the "Basque Walls" in the wall of Barbaris between Zerain and Zegama, 3 kilometers and 230 meters of unevenness with slopes of 12 and 13%.

Descending Beunda on the slopes of the Sierra de Aizkorri, the last wall of the day.

Bordering the Sierra de Aralar, between Gaintza and Larraitz, 3rd stage of the route in its PLUS option. We move in the favorite territory of the Basque cycling competitions.
 Ordiziako Klasika 2015

Lazkaomendi Mountain Pass between Lazkao and Ordizia. In the background the mountains of the Sierra de Aizkorri, on its slopes yesterday passed the stage.

During the first 50 kilometers of the stage, we will pedal around the Sierra de Aralar on its northern slope. In the center the unmistakable Txindoki. We will be surprised by his change of appearance as the stage progresses.

In this third stage of BASOAK PYRENEES the village of Gaintza is climbed by the conventional route, but for lovers of strong sensations there is the famous Gaintza Wall, a "little devil" trap with a section of 1.6 kilometers to 15.3% on average in which Alberto Contador sentenced his 2014 Tour of the Basque Country. It starts in the nearby town of Zaldibia and it is not difficult to find it but if you do not find it, ask for it and we will send you the track.
In the image the participants of the Ordiziako Klasika 2015 negotiating the hard part of the wall.

In the standard proposal we surround the Sierra de Aralar by the south side. We arrived at Astiz, pure bucolicism between Lekunberri and Sakana by Zuazarrate Mountain Pass.

We cross the Larraun river in Lekunberri and we forget the Sierra de Aralar. By Uitzi, Leitza and Usategieta we will go to look for the Baztan.

Change of scenery, 4th stage of BASOAK PYRENEES, we climb Izpegi and a spectacular landscape receives us. We descend to Baigorri and the "medium size" Mountain Passes are over, 4 days of Pyrenean Colossus are waiting for us.

Ascending Munhoa, an unknown mountain pass in the Basque Pyrenees above Baigorri. Hardness and beauty in equal parts. If we do not choose the PLUS option we will go through the valley that we see below.

Pastoral scene in the upper part of Munhoa. Ahead we have a descent as well paved as to receive a Tour de France.

Ascending Inharpu by Bastida, the ascend by which it was promoted in La Vuelta a España 2016. If it is hot we recommend the option of ascent by Behorlegi that is for which "officially" ascends BASOAK PYRENEES.

The "bosses" of the Vuelta a España 2016 on the last ramps of Inharpu.
 Spain Bike Tour 2016

Another day in the same place. Resting in the Col de Inharpu, point of confluence of the 2 roads that ascend to this point from the same slope, by Behorlegi or by Bastida.

The peloton begins the descent towards Altzai during the Queen Stage of La Vuelta a España 2016, ahead of them Soudet, Marie Blanque and Aubisque, a childhood of those... For us at BASOAK PYRENEES the hard part of the day is over, we just need to go down and a slight rise / fall to Arette.
 Spain Bike Tour 2016

From the top of Ahusky and on clean days the view extends to the right to the Bay of Biscay and to the left towards the high peaks of the Atlantic Pyrenees.
Without any doubt, one of the best sections of cycling in the whole Pyrenees.
 Spain Bike Tour 2016

Arette is located at the eastern end of BASOAK PYRENEES, the possibilities it has for cycle tourism are so many and so good that it is almost mandatory to spend 2 days in the same PUNTO BIKE. This really is an added value because it provides a point of relaxation to the whole route knowing that the next day is not necessary to collect all the luggage to go out to ride the stage.
The "bucolic" of photography could say that it has something "false" in terms of our activity is concerned, because the slopes are tremendous and the slopes that are coming from the largest, if not the biggest, we can find in the Pyrenees.

Col de Labays 1351 metros, 1351 meters, first intermediate point during our ascent to La Pierre de San Martín Mountain Pass. 5th stage of the standard option.
 Pax Avant 2013

Col de Soudet 1531 meters, second intermediate point during the same ascent.
 Pax Avant 2013

Above the ski resort of Arette the slope softens, but the wind usually compensates.
 Pax Avant 2013

La Pierre de San Martín Mountain Pass, roof of BASOAK PYRENEES. In this fifth stage of the standard option we retrace our steps. The goal is the top.
 Pax Avant 2013

During the descent we deviate at the junction of the Soudet to go to find the Col de Issarbe which by this slope becomes an almost pleasant walk of scarce 5 kilometers with 200 meters of ascent.

The fifth stage of BASOAK PYRENEES in its PLUS option faces a classic of the area, the chain Larrau - La Pierre de San Martín. A route more or less coinciding with that of the established cyclist tours Pierre Jacques and Larra Larrau that starting one from the North and the other from the South are celebrated every year in these mountains.
The question arises in which sense to make the tour, since this one of today is a circular stage.In any of the 2 directions there are many Pros and few cons, so it is a difficult decision, but as we had to choose, we chose to go up Larrau first.
In the image, the village of Larrau - already at kilometer 3 of the port - it is falling below.

Taking height in the Larrau, we have to reach 380 APM points. We will get them in 15 kilometers and 1200 meters of climbing. At the top we will be at 1585 meters of altitude.

From the Laugibar Bridge, which is where the mountain pass begins, to the Col de Erroimendi which will soon reach the 3 cyclists in the photo, the Larrau is almost a constant wall of 10 kilometers to 10% - easy to remember -

Descent through the good asphalt of the southern slope of the Larrau. We fly over the Irati Forest.

Second large mountain pass of the day. Sun and rain during the ascent to La Pierre de San Martín, also called Portillo de Ernaz from the Belagua Valley.

Karst de Larra in the vicinity of La Pierre de San Martín, a characteristic and often very cold landscape, it does not matter if it is summer.

Participant of the Pax Avant descending La Pierre de San Martín towards Isaba.
The conglomerate of routes - 7 different ascents - culminating in this Mountain Pass, added to the great unevenness that we must overcome by any of its slopes, make this colossus of 1,764 meters of altitude, one of the places of "pilgrimage" bound for the Pyrenees. The unevenness is around 1,500 meters, and its difficulty reaches in its Issarbe, option the 417 points of APM coefficient, a figure that is difficult to reach in the Pyrenees and clearly above the mythical ports of the Range - Aubisque 255, Tourmalet 342, Luz-Ardiden 233-
 Pax Avant 2013

6th stage. If we go with the PLUS option, shortly after leaving Arette we will be stuck in the woods fighting with another of the kings of the area, Col de Issarbe, to simplify, 11 kilometers to 9%.

The obligatory "colossus" of the sixth stage of BASOAK PYRENEES is the Bagargi Mountain Pass from Laugibar, an authentic TOUR port, promoted in the 16th stage of the 2003 edition, after the Soudet, on its route between Pau and Bayonne. Again the numbers do not deceive, 326 APM points, 15 kilometers of port and a central zone of 3 kilometers with an average slope of 12%.

The 17 kilometers that separate the Col de Bagargi from the Artaburu - in the direction that we go a very simple ascent - touch the cyclist perfection.
Participants of the Irati Extrem 2013 in Irati-Cize.

In the vicinity of the Surzai Mountain Pass we meet some of the spectacular sections of Pyrenean forest that give name to BASOAK PYRENEES.
 Irati Extrem 2013

Descent from Errozate to Esterenzubi. Better go well supplied with brakes.

Last stage. High part of Arnostegi among shreds of fog, one of the best weather conditions to raise "cooled" the hard and prolonged slopes of this Pyrenean colossus.

And much better if a little later the fog stays down. Bucolic scenes in the 5 star territory of the Atlantic Pyrenees.

In the center, prehistoric settlement of Zerkupe, BASOAK PYRENEES scenario on the gentle slopes on the upper part of Arnostegi.

Arnostegi 1236 meters of altitude, despite its low altitude we are facing one of the great Pyrenean Mountain Passes. From Sain-Michel have had 1120 meters of unevenness and 372 points of coefficient APM - remember that the Tourmalet has 342 for its hardest side -

We are descending towards Orgambide.

Powerful Pyrenean landscape between the steps of Orgambide and Azpegi. In the background, the slopes of Artaburu and Errozate that we walked through yesterday.

Remains of the old Orbaitzeta Weapons Factory reconditioned for tourism. We are already on the southern slopes of the Pyrenees.

Scenes from the southern slopes of the Navarrese Pyrenees between Espinal and Erro. Small Col of Mezkiritz.
 Cicloturista La Indurain 2016

Erro Mountain Pass last difficulties of BASOAK PYRENEES.
 Cicloturista La Indurain 2016

If we have decided to follow the PLUS option, we will go through this place. Aztakarri Mountain Pass, again on the border line.

Descending the final hard ramp of Aztakarri. A demanding climb if we came in the opposite direction from Urepel.

Urkiaga from Urepel, last demanding Mountain Pass of the route. 580 meters of unevenness and ramps of 12, 15 ... 16% in the first of its 10 kilometers.

Birthplace of the five-time champion of the Tour Miguel Indurain, a symbolic value added to the route.

Cuesta de Santo Domingo in the old town of Pamplona. Starting point of the San Fermín bull runners and tour of the opening match of La Vueta to Spain 2013. BASOAK PYRENEES users can take the bike tour, although the presence of people in the streets is usually important, surely it should be a smooth walk. In the "Downloads and altimetrys" tab we added the track that starting from the bridge over the Arga includes the joint layout of the Encierro and Encierrillo.

Summarizing BASOAK PYRENEES, Macizo de Los Arbailles seen from the vicinity of Bagargi