Basque Country + Rioja Eclipse Bike Tour

Your DuVine guides will greet you at one of our recommended hotels in downtown Bilbao, then we’re off to our iconic hotel designed by Frank O. Gehry: the glittering, ribbon-like roof appears right from the middle of the vineyards as we approach. After a safety review and bike fitting, head out on our first ride through the Tempranillo vineyards, then return to Hotel Marqués de Riscal for lunch in the wine bar amidst the region’s best bottles. Spend the rest of the afternoon by the pool, or head to the hotel’s Caudalie vinotherapy spa for one of their wine-infused treatments. This evening we raise a glass to the week ahead and share a show-stopping Riojana meal at Marqués de Riscal.

Meals: Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: Bilbao, Elciego
Accomplished: 16 miles / 26 km, elevation gain: 1,309 feet / 399 meters
Longer Option: 20 miles / 35 km, elevation gain: 1,650 feet / 500 meters
Accommodations: Hotel Marqués de Riscal

Today, take your pick between an easygoing or a more challenging route. We’ll climb out of Elciego along a ridge high above the vineyards, then meet the Ebro River after descending through the town of Lapuebla de Labarca. Our destination is the medieval town of Laguardia, which sits upon a warren of 300 cellars carved from rock during the Middle Ages. These cellars (called calados) aren’t just subterranean wineries—they were once hideaways to protect townspeople in times of turmoil. The ancient calados are a striking contrast to the ultra-modern wineries that have cropped up since Spain joined the European Union in the mid-1980s. We’re headed to a small family-owned winery for a terrace-top tapas lunch of cheese, charcuterie, olives, and croquettes with dreamy views overlooking the estate’s vineyards and the town of Laguardia beyond. Tonight, our friend Irene hosts us at her family-run winery in Elciego for a casual dinner of tuna and local meat grilled over wood cuttings from her vines and paired with a selection of her estate’s wines.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: Lapuebla de Labarca, Laguardia, Elciego
Accomplished: 24 miles / 38 km, elevation gain: 2,000 feet / 615 meters
Longer Option: 29 miles / 47 km, elevation gain: 2,600 feet / 797 meters
Accommodations: Hotel Marqués de Riscal

Today we cruise south to the 11th-century UNESCO World Heritage Monastery of Yuso, considered the birthplace of the Spanish language. We’ll pass pilgrims from around the globe and stop to chat as they hike this section of the 500-mile Camino de Santiago. After visiting this historic monument, it’s just a short ride to our classic Riojana lunch by the river in a rehabilitated century-old flour mill. Choose to bike back to the hotel or transfer by van for some downtime (and perhaps a Spanish siesta). Tonight, we transfer to downtown Haro and meet our friend Jaime, who opens the doors to his family-run restaurant that’s been serving its famous wood-oven roasted lamb since 1870.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: Briones, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Elciego
Accomplished: 23 miles / 37 km, elevation gain: 2,130 feet / 650 meters
Longer Option: 36 miles / 59 km, elevation gain: 3,200 feet / 980 meters
Accommodations: Hotel Marqués de Riscal

Begin the day with a bang on a spectacular climb towards the Sierra de Cantabria mountains. As we gain elevation the valley below seems to expand endlessly, filled with vineyards as far as the eye can see. Break for a well-deserved lunch at   Dinastía Vivanco, a family winery that’s also Spain’s largest private museum of wine accouterments and art. After, hop in the van and head back to Hotel Marqués de Riscal or keep riding to rack up some extra miles. Tonight is the show we’ve all been waiting for as a total solar eclipse takes place over northern Spain for the first time since 1905. At the best viewpoint in the region, your guides have prepared a celestial celebration where the wine flows freely and our picnic-style dinner table is abundant well into the (second) sunset of the evening.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: San Millán de la Cogolla
Accomplished: 27 miles / 43 km, elevation gain: 2,130 feet / 650 meters
Longer Option: 48 miles / 78 km, elevation gain: 2,950 feet / 900 meters
Accommodations: Hotel Marqués de Riscal

The last leg of our pilgrimage takes us along vineyard roads and past medieval villages into the Sierra de la Demanda. Along the way, stop for photos at a 2,000-year-old Roman bridge before arriving in the village of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, stopping at a pilgrim’s café where your guides relate the story of Saint Dominic and the miracle of the rooster. Lunch in Ezcaray follows, and there’s time to visit a luxury scarf and blanket weaver in town to stock up on a few souvenirs. Our evening concludes with dinner at the hotel’s two-Michelin-star restaurant, prepared for us by Spain’s most influential chef and our good friend, Francis Paniego.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: Santo Domingo de la Calzada, Ezcaray, Briones
Accomplished: 36 miles / 58 km, elevation gain: 1,453 feet / 443 meters
Longer Option: 45 miles / 72 km, elevation gain: 1,443 feet / 440 meters
Accommodations: Hotel Echaurren

Bid “adios” to La Rioja, its wines, medieval architecture, sumptuous gastronomy, and stunning landscapes. After breakfast, we transfer back to Bilbao where your guides will take you to your post-trip hotel or the Bilbao airport.

Meals: Breakfast