Camera and mobile phone: chargers need to work with the local supply. Mains voltage is 220V 50Hz; plugs are of the round two-pin variety
Earplugs: hotels can be noisy
Eating implements: daytime eating will often involve a picnic so take a tin and bottle opener, and knife (usually a Swiss Army knife). Remember to put knives and the like in your hold luggage
First aid kit: take a small first aid kit. These are readily available from pharmacists, bike and outdoor shops
Wash kit: soap, towel (can be kept small if staying in hotels), toothbrush etc
Camping
If camping the load will increase in terms of volume and weight. Tent, foam sleeping mat, sleeping bag, stove and cooking utensils can easily add 5 to 7kg, not to mention any long-term food items. Front panniers may now be essential. Tents can be broken into their component parts and shared amongst the group.
Tents
Most of the main manufacturers make suitable tents for cyclists: generally two-person, easy to erect and fairly lightweight, ranging from 1kg to just under 4kg. If travelling solo a backpacking/mountain marathon type is both smaller and lighter (1kg or less). Cycling tents tend to have a porch or extension for storage purposes. Manufacturers to consider include Hilleberg, Saunders, Terra Nova, Vango and Vaude.
Stoves
Methylated spirits-fuelled stoves such as those made by Trangia are well proven, pack neatly and come with a matching pan set, which avoids the separate cooking pans required with a gas burner. Fuel – methylated spirits or gas canisters – will have to be located on arrival. Even so the weight will be 1kg+ excluding cutlery and cleaning materials. If concerned about weight it is possible to get away with a Swiss Army knife and spoon along with a small pan and lightweight mountain stove.
Sleeping gear
A spring or autumn trip means a two- or three-season sleeping bag, but don’t forget that most of Spain is above 600m so while daytime temperatures may rise to 25°C in summer, nights (and early mornings) are very cool. If in doubt take a silk liner which is both light to carry and warm to sleep in. A good night’s sleep is essential to recovery, so it may be wise to take a Therm-a-rest which, though slightly heavier, is infinitely more comfortable than a basic foam sleeping mat.
Eating and Drinking en route
Eating
A good breakfast starts the day well, but cycling requires regular intakes of fuel and replenishment will soon be needed. Readily available and convenient foods are fruit, bread, cakes, biscuits and chocolate.
Bananas (plátanos), oranges (naranjas) and apples (manzanas) are widely available all year round. Other fruits tend to be seasonal.
Bread is the carbohydrate staple of Spain: even the smallest village will have a panadería, which you can expect to be open mornings (including Sunday) and evenings (rarely Sunday). Getting fresh bread should not be a problem, but many panaderías lack any external sign advertising their presence. Most bread uses refined flour, so if you want wholemeal or wholewheat ask for pan integral. Cheese and tuna make good fillings. Tuna packed in vegetable or olive oil can remove the need to use butter or margarine, which can be troublesome to carry.
Small cakes are cheap to buy and make excellent cycling food, but avoid the highly packaged confections that look better than they taste. Magdalenas, small cup cakes often flavoured with lemon, can be bought by the dozen and are highly recommended. Avoid the wholemeal variety which tends to be drier and less instantly gratifying. Also recommended are valencianas, similar but finger shaped.
Sotres and the Collado de Pandébano with their lush hay meadows (Route 8)
In many villages the shops are small and specialised: a bread shop only sells bread, the fruit shop only fruit and vegetables, and the grocer only packaged goods. Purchasing the day’s food is a good way of practising the language, especially numbers.
Drinking
Correct hydration is important for good health. Water is essential to biological function. Dehydration, loss of water, thickens the blood and reduces its oxygen-carrying capacity, so reducing performance. Sweating is the main way the body cools itself during hard work. Should sweating be insufficient the body will subconsciously reduce the work level to prevent the body’s core temperature from rising to dangerous levels. Conversely too much water, hyperhydration, dilutes the blood salt concentrations and can be life-threatening.
Even without exercise, in warm climates the body would normally lose 2.5kg a day through urination, skin evaporation and breathing. The water is replaced by drinking and metabolising food. Cycling on a hot day can generate one to two litres of sweat per hour going uphill. The body can absorb about 0.8 litres an hour, so the body is bound to endure some water loss during the day. At the very onset of dehydration the body reacts by shutting down urination and initiates a thirst reaction. The thirst reaction and the body’s mechanisms for coping with dehydration may diminish with age.
Drinking to maintain correct hydration should be considered a whole-day process. Drink freely to satisfy your thirst. Drinking in anticipation of sweat loss or to match rates of sweating can lead to hyperhydration and is best avoided. Coffee and tea are diuretics but one or two cups should have no effect on hydration status. Water is good for hydration and readily available. Many find a flavoured drink more palatable. Fruit juices diluted to between 30 and 50g of sugars per litre, with an optional small pinch of salt, are about the right strength for quenching that thirst. The sugars are a good source of energy. The quantity of sugars in a carton of fruit juice should be listed on the label. Making the drinks stronger reduces their absorption by the stomach, so keep them dilute. On the road keep your drinks bottles topped up. Drinking at meal times is recommended and generally plain water will be fine. An easy test of hydration is that urine should be clear and pale straw coloured. This test is most reliable just after getting up. Alcoholic drinks are diuretics and should in theory be avoided – but hey, you’re on holiday…!
The Vía Verde out of Andoain soon crosses the viaduct and continues between steep hills (Route 7)
Embalse de El Pintado in the Parque Natural Sierra Norte (Route 4)
Coping with Extreme Weather
Long days of exposed cycling in the mountains in wind and rain can, in extreme circumstances, lead to a severe chilling of the body resulting in exposure. Similarly long days in hot weather in the full glare of the sun can lead to excessive fluid loss, heat exhaustion or a breakdown in the body’s heat control mechanism, and heatstroke. Although heatstroke, heat exhaustion and exposure are most unlikely to occur it is worth being aware of their symptoms, prevention and treatment; if not dealt with properly all can be life threatening. The box below is not intended to alarm, but to highlight the appropriate precautions that can be taken to prevent problems.
Heatstroke (hyperpyrexia)
Heatstroke occurs when the body’s heat production becomes greater than its heat loss and the body’s temperature rises. A body temperature
