Trekking Bike Route in stages along the vineyards and villages of LA RIOJA

When the objective is to enjoy much more of the territory by reducing the time on the bike, it is time for the "SLOW" option.
The idea is to reduce the harshness but without altering the general essence of the proposal. And it really is a decision that can be decided every day at the start of the stage.
This is the result:

SLOW Option A: Logroño - Nájera
Distance 38 km - Unevenness 305 m

SLOW Option B: Nájera - Haro
Distance 30 km - Unevenness 320 m

SLOW Option C: Haro - Laguardia
Distance 34 km - Unevenness 520 m

SLOW Option D: Laguardia - Logroño
Distance 23 km - Unevenness 215 m

SLOW Option F: Circular Nájera
Distance 39 km - Unevenness 535 m

SLOW Option G: Circular Haro
Distance 28 km - Unevenness 310 m

SLOW Option H: Circular Laguardia
Distance 31 km - Unevenness 330 m

Eastern Rioja

The 1st stage of FUENTES del VINO TREK BIKE runs along the slopes of the Sierra de Cameros, the 1st of the FUENTES or mountain formations that feed the vineyards of La Rioja and that at this point also give shape to the Iregua Valley. We are in what is known as Rioja Baja or Eastern Rioja.
The Alberite and Medrano Wine Cellars Quarters which we will visit in the first half of the route, show just from the beginning the importance that wine has historically had in this region.
As can be guessed in the profile, in the 2nd part of the stage you will have to make an effort to ascend to El Horcajo, which with its 915 meters of altitude constitutes the highest point of FUENTES del VINO TREK BIKE. Upon reaching the top, we leave the Iregua Valley and enter the Najerilla Valley.
The "Camino de Santiago" allows those who wish to soften the route somewhat, avoiding the El Horcajo mountain pass.

If we opt for the SLOW option, we will ignore the Iregua Valley. We will use the route that takes us more directly along the Ribera del Ebro to Cenicero. Then we will head, already moving away from the river, along the paths of Uruñuela until the end of the stage in NÁJERA.
Heras Cordón, LAN, Finca Valpiedra, Marques de la Concordia... will be some of the wineries that will appear among the vineyards as we advance along the route.

Rioja Alta

Full tour through La Rioja Alta. The Clarete route of Cordovín with its wide views over all the surrounding territories, and the Cistercian Abbey of Cañas, give character to the first kilometers of the day. Later, in a line oriented almost directly to the North, we cross a "sea of vineyards" with no intermediate populations to the Rodezno Barrio de Bodegas From here, through an already more humanized territory, we headed towards the Capital of Rioja.
Along the way we will have coincided -just to mention a few- with the vineyards and wineries of Beronia, Valenciso, Conde de los Andes, with its 2 kilometers of underground winery -calaos- and some more of the approximately 777 wineries belonging to the Rioja Denomination.

f the stage falls short, we will extend it by heading, together with the pilgrims who go to Santiago, to the historic Villa de Santo Domingo de La Calzada. From here, heading North and next to the vineyards that mark the limit of the Rioja Denomination of Origin, we will pedal towards HARO.

If we opt for the SLOW option, the change will not have been for the worse. The monumentality of the towns of San Asensio -with its Barrio de Bodegas- and Briones, the latter with the spectacular -and visitable- Vivanco Wine Museum, -one of the largest in the world- make this option, the second half of which also runs through the paths of the South bank of the Ebro, a valid option even for cyclists accustomed to longer routes.

Ribera del Ebro

Walking along the North bank of the Ebro between HARO and LAGUARDIA plunges you into the world of wine in such a way that it makes you think that perhaps the Denomination could have been called "Ribera del Ebro", similar to its neighbor Ribera del Duero located a few kilometers further South.
The intimidating silhouette of the Castle/Church of San Vicente de la Sonsierra will give way to one of the loneliest sections of the Ebro basin, where without any warning we will pass from La Rioja Alta to Rioja Alavesa.
In the last kilometers of the stage we will finally leave La Ribera to come face to face with the Villa de Elciego and the Guggenheim-style winery of Marqués de Riscal, one of the first caves in La Rioja. In the background, on a higher plane, the end of the stage can be seen imposingly in the form of the "Walled town of Laguardia".

If we opt for the SLOW option, after passing through San Vicente we will leave the Ebro and without losing the classic solitary character of this part of La Rioja territory we will enter the Rioja Alavesa through Villanueva de Alava.
The last kilometers of the stage take place in a more "friendly" environment between the medieval towns of Leza and Páganos and with the Cantabria Range taking more and more prominence.

Rioja Alavesa

The slopes of the Cantabria Range monopolize the territory that houses practically all the kilometers of this last stage that runs almost entirely through the Rioja Alavesa.

Small terraced vineyards, terroirs adapt to the complicated morphology generated by the ravines that descend from the mountains. From this complexity and the multitude of microclimates that this generates, the possibility of "playing" with the modern concept of singular and author wines that characterize current oenology trends.

La Huesera, La Hechicera and El Encinar, the 3 dolmens, that almost unintentionally link the track, reinforce backwards in time the historical sequence that began in the architectural contemporaneity of modern wineries and continued in the homogeneous medieval profile present in all the villages that we pass through. Elvillar, Kripán, Vinasperi, Iekora, the monumental Labraza... Demanding sequence of village-valley village-valley that gives the stage a PLUS in sporting terms over the previous stages of FUENTES DEL VINO TREK BIKE. In our favor is the detail that all the valleys we cross allow us to "escape" -if the forces falter- in a southerly direction and downhill, towards the end of the stage in LOGROÑO.

If we opt for the SLOW option, we will visit the Lagunas de Laguardia and we will be able to make a relaxed stop -near the end of the stage- in the medieval village Oion.
The route will be quite comfortable, with a downward trend, and in the same way as the standard option, through the territory entirely of Rioja Alavesa except for the final kilometers that lead us to the end of FUENTES DEL VINO TREK BIKE in LOGROÑO.

When the selection of the Pack made for FUENTES DEL VINO TREK BIKE has not included the circular stage of Laguardia (H), which is the one that includes the passage through Elciego and its emblematic Marqués de Riscal winery, we can choose for this SLOW D stage between Laguardia and Logroño the option D4, which does include said winery in its track. The tour is longer than the D2 option; 41 vs 23 kms. but the unevenness is very small, only 220 ms. For this reason, we continue to consider it a SLOW option whose track from Elciego along the banks of the Ebro maintains interest until its end in LOGROÑO.

The Valley of the Language

It is said in LA RIOJA that in places where before "there were only vinegars" the best wines now emerge.
The Cardenas and Alto Najerilla valleys, with their terraced vineyards planted high on the slopes of La Demanda Range, are some of those places.
This optional circular stage H, with base camp in NÁJERA, plunges into that territory. In addition to the unique vineyards that characterize both valleys, there is also the unquestionable interest of the historic Monasteries of Suso and Yuso in San Millán de la Cogolla. The new cultural projects that have emerged from the link between written Spanish and these monasteries have given rise to a new place-name; The Valley of the Language.

Sajazarra and The Pulpito of La Rioja

HARO is defined in tourist catalogs as La Capital del Rioja, and just by visiting its emblematic HARO STATION DISTRICT where several of the most important Rioja wineries are located, oneself understands the reason for the title.
This importance and the generosity of its geography - which allows adding a stage to the route without "stepping on" the tracks of the adjacent stages justify its choice as a possible point to spend 2 nights when we pedal FUENTES DEL VINO TREK BIKE.
Along the southern slope of Montes Obarenes -full of Singular Vineyards- we will go to Cellorigo, the westernmost point of the proposal, ascending during the process to the so-called Pulpito de La Rioja.
On the way back to HARO the "obligatory" stop will be in Sajazarra, a medieval village classified as "one of the most beautiful towns in Spain" partly due to its spectacular castle and partly to the general care of the complex carried out by the inhabitants of the place.

If we opt for the SLOW option, we will close the circle before reaching Cellorigo to go directly to Sajazarra.

Heart of Rioja

If HARO is called the "Capital of Rioja", LAGUARDIA should be called - without any doub -t Capital of Rioja Alaves.
The optional stages if we decide to add one more night in this PUNTO BIKE of Laguardia, - we have at least 3 alternatives - go 100% into the heart of the Riojan wine world, the Ribera del Ebro, the monumental Villas of Cenicero, Briones, San Vicente de la Sonsierra... the terraced vineyards on the southern slope of the Sierra de Cantabria... In short... not a single kilometer wasted.

If we opt for the SLOW option, the "lighthouse" of the route is undoubtedly Elciego and its emblematic Marqués de Riscal winery, although before reaching it we will have traveled through the Lagunas de Laguardia complex and the solitary vineyard fields of the Ribera del Ebro between Lapuebla de Labarca and Elciego itself.

Ribera del Ebro

Stage J between NÁJERA and LAGUARDIA is the one we use if we want to reduce the number of FUENTES del VINO TREK BIKE stages to three, eliminating Haro from the route.
This graph helps to understand it.

The route will begin, like stage B in its SLOW option, with the monumentality of the medieval villages ofSan Asensio - with its Barrio de Bodegas - and Briones, the latter with the spectacular -and visitable- Vivanco Wine Museum, one of the greatest in the world.
We will leave route B and crossing the Ebro we will connect with route C and with the intimidating silhouette of the Castle/Church ofSan Vicente de la Sonsierra, which will give way to one of the loneliest sections of the Ebro basin in which without any type of notice we will pass from La Rioja Alta to La Rioja Alavesa.
In the last kilometers of the stage we will leave the Ebro basin to find ourselves almost face to face with the Villa de Elciego and the Guggenheim-style winery of Marqués de Riscal, one of the first caves in La Rioja. In the background, on a higher plane, the end of the stage can be seen imposingly in the form of the "Walled town of Laguardia".

If we opt for the SLOW option, in San Asensio we will make a detour to cross the Ebro and enter in the Rioja Alavesa through Baños de Ebro. We will then ascend to Villanueva de Alava.
The last kilometers of the stage take place in a more "friendly" environment between the medieval towns of Leza and Páganos and with the Cantabria Range taking more and more prominence.