La beauté de la fatigue et le frisson de la conquête

According to its greater mileage, this route requires a slightly more trained participant since it is a 122-kilometer route.

This route coincides with the first part of the Long Route to Laguardia.

From 06:30 and up to 07:30, with the first rays of the sun, we will start from the Plaza de la Paz de Haro, until we reach the town of Briñas. From there, we will pass through Labastida before reaching San Vicente de la Sonsierra, sharing the route to Baños de Ebro with the Long and Short routes of Eroica Hispania.

We arrive in San Vicente de la Sonsierra crossing the bridge of medieval origin so characteristic of this town, to ascend towards the castle through its narrow and paved streets, where every year during Easter Week the famous “Picaos” procession passes, a suprising religious tradition with ancient origins. In this cozy Riojan enclave, the riders can enjoy a first food stop that, given the proximity to the starting point, and considering the time for which most participants will pass by, will be a rich Heroic breakfast that promises not to leave anyone indifferent. Crossing several of its characteristic streets, we will leave the village and we will pedal along the Ebro riverbank, seeing on the right the Davalillo Castle.

From there we will cross small charming villages such as Baños de Ebro, Navaridas and Páganos until we reach Laguardia, one of the key points of the Medium Route, and place where the second food stop will be arranged. Undoubtedly, it is a beautiful walled and pedestrian town reminiscent of images from other times where you can enjoy exquisite cuisine. We are fully in La Rioja Alavesa, part of the Basque Country.

After the well-deserved rest and the recovery of forces, let's continue our journey towards the historic municipality of Nájera, a village that has a must visit in the Monastery of Santa María la Real, where ancient kings and nobles of the Kingdom of Pamplona are buried. There you will find the third food stop of the Medium Route, to rest and depart with energy and good taste in the mouth towards San Millan de la Cogolla, emblematic village named by Unesco world heritage site in 1997. In this municipality are the Monasteries of Yuso y Suso, cradle of the Castilian language, true jewels of the Romanesque. The visit is mandatory, that is why from Eroica Hispania, we have achieved that the fourth of our food stops of this route is located in the exact carriage passage of this majestic monastery.

Admiring its orchards, we will leave the willage to go through beautiful and unique Riojan villages such as Berceo, Villar de Torre and Manzanares de Rioja. In the next village, Cirueña, we will take the Way of Santiago again until we cross Santo Domingo de La Calzada, a pilgrim's refuge that has many historical, patrimonial and architectural attractions, highlighting its cathedral in which a miracle occurred hundreds of years ago, or as the popular legend says there "the chicken sang after being roasted". How could it be otherwise, in this exceptional enclave with history and mysticism in abundance, the paricipants can enjoy the fifth and final food stop of the Medium Route.

From here, we will go to Ochánduri and Cuzcurrita de Río Tirón, where you can visit the Velasco Castle and the Church of San Miguel. From there we will arrive at Sajazarra, where we will be impressed by its perfectly preserved castle, and its medieval-style streets. We follow this fascinating route in the direction of Haro, Capital of Rioja Wine, famous for its borough of centuries-old wineries. After a new tour of the Barrio de las Bodegas, we face the last Eroica climb of the route to reach the Plaza de la Paz where a well-deserved rest awaits us after a very demanding but very enriching tour, full of natural, culinary, historical and cultural treasures of La Rioja.


Information parcours
DISTANCE
122km
Dénivelé
1 655M
Heure de départ
desde las 6.30 a las 7.30
COMPÉTENCE
Compétence Compétence Compétence