Orbea Gravel Rioja Alavesa 2026

The route

Orbea Gravel Rioja Alavesa reaches its fifth edition from Laguardia, the walled medieval capital of the Rioja Alavesa. Two distances in gravel format: 102 km and 54 km. The Rioja Alavesa has a limited cyclosportive history but a very strong identity: vineyards extending as far as you can see, the Sierra de Cantabria closing off the north like a wall, and the Ebro marking the southern boundary. Contemporary architecture wineries (Ysios, Marqués de Riscal) punctuate the landscape with a striking contrast.

The route is gravel: tracks between vineyards, dirt paths through agricultural land, and secondary roads across an open wine-country landscape. There is no significant altitude, but the irregular terrain and dirt tracks call for an appropriate bike: tyres of at least 35-38 mm and adequate clearance. The 102 km is the long route with more track kilometres and more terrain variety; the 54 km cuts back but remains genuine gravel. October is harvest time in the Rioja Alavesa: riding through vineyards with the freshly cut grape clusters still visible is something specific to this time of year.

Wind in the Rioja Alavesa comes primarily from the NW, an attenuated Cierzo that crosses the Sierra de Cantabria and reaches the vineyards with less force than in the Aragonese Ebro valley, but does not disappear entirely. On the open flat sections between vineyards, NW wind at 15-25 km/h is the norm in October, and on open tracks without lateral vegetation to break it the effect is noticeable. Sections closer to the Sierra de Cantabria offer more shelter. Dirt sectors after rain are more demanding: Rioja Alavesa mud sticks with conviction. Temperatures between 14 and 20°C: autumn at its best.

Laguardia is 90 km from Bilbao and 75 km from Logroño, with good road connections. The walled village with its network of underground passages (the sandstone rock was excavated to store wine and shelter from the cold) is one of the most attractive in the Basque Country. October in the Rioja Alavesa is high season for wine tourism: many weekends are fully booked months in advance. If you want to stay the night in or around the village, book well ahead.

Variants and GPX

Past editions

Real Open-Meteo weather on each edition day.

How to register

Registration, price and rules are on the official website of the organization. Official march website →

More information

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