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Journey of a Lifetime:

1,200 Years in 12 Days: Biking Spain's Camino de Santiago

For more than a thousand years, the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route across northern Spain has drawn both spirited adventurers  and spiritual seekers alike. In 2004, declared a Holy Year, the Camino will again attract travelers from around the world to trek to the ancient city of Santiago de Compostela. Easy Rider Tours will be celebrating this special year with a series of 12-day, guided bicycling tours along the 1,200-year-old route to Santiago.

The tradition of Santiago dates from the year 814 AD. According to legend, falling stars guided the Spanish hermit Pelayo to Santiago, where he discovered the long-forgotten tomb of the apostle St. James (San Tiago). Both commoners and kings made pilgrimages to the miraculous site over the ensuing centuries. Today the Camino draws an international cadre of cyclists, hikers, and equestrians seeking the thrill of accomplishment and, for some, a spiritual connection to the past. Authors from James Michener to Shirley MacLaine have written of their Camino journeys.

Easy Rider's cycling tour joins the Camino trail in Burgos (home to El Cid), and follows it for 330 miles across the plains of Castile-León, the mountains of El Bierzo, and the forested hills of Galicia to Santiago. Cyclists' "Pilgrim Passports" are stamped along the way to certify the journey. Bikers must complete at least 200 kilometers (125 miles) of the Camino to earn the treasured compostela (certificate of completion), which they receive upon arriving at the thousand-year-old Cathedral de Santiago, built over the tomb of St. James.

In the Middle Ages, traveling the pilgrim road to Santiago was an arduous undertaking fraught with peril. In contrast, Easy Rider cyclists bike in luxury, with overnights in historic accommodations including refurbished monasteries and four-star Paradors and manor houses. Two bilingual guides accompany each group of 16 cyclists, and a support van carries luggage and snacks. The journey ends with a two-night stay at the Parador Hostal de los Reyes Católicos, built in the 16th century by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabela to shelter arriving pilgrims. Today, Travel + Leisure magazine calls it the most magnificent of Spain's paradors.

The 12-day cycling tour from Burgos to Santiago de Compostela is offered May 26-June 6, June 23-July 4, and September 1-12, 2004. The tour price of US$3,050 includes all accommodations, most meals, selected admissions to historical sites, two guides, and a support van. Top-quality bicycle rentals are available for an additional US$179. A shorter 9-day version of the tour covers the final 190 miles from León to Santiago. Departures are planned for May 29, June 26, and September 4; price is US$2,550. Tour prices do not include airfare.

Founded in 1985, Easy Rider Tours specializes in active vacations in Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Maritime Canada, and New England. The company offers the largest selection of bicycling itineraries in Iberia and Ireland of any American outfitter. The entire 2004 schedule, with pricing, tour descriptions and itineraries, can be found on the Easy Rider website: www.easyridertours.com. For a free catalog, call 800-488-8332 or e-mail info@easyridertours.com. 

Edited by Dave Shultz

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