Everyone who’s been there knows Lugo is a fantastic small city – an ideal bike-tour destination. Ancient walls surround a classic Spanish old-town of pedestrianized streets and squares, packed with cafés and bars: perfect for relaxing in the evening. It’s right on the edge of the flat land between the mountains and the sea – so it’s a great base for exploring the lumpier bits.

 

There are so many great roads on this route. Years ago I put one of them into a route for RiDE and one reader who’d ridden it emailed in, calling it “the greatest piece of tarmac I’ve ever ridden”. But then, he didn’t get to ride some of the other roads on this route…

 

After warming up with the first few miles out of Lugo, this ride is all about twisty roads. They rise, they fall, some have huge views, others are closed in with trees on either side… but they all have bends – sometimes even a 500m straight can feel like a welcome relief; a chance to have a breather.

 

The route keeps with the super-twisty theme all the way to the coast, dipping inland, then heading back towards the sea – then things calm down a bit. A full day of that kind of riding is exhausting, so the return to base is on more-gently flowing roads – the kind where you might stay in one gear for maybe four or five minutes. It’s a good way to cool down after all the intense workout you get on the mountain roads.