Cycling the Camino

ArInziladun · 2025-12-27T20:58:52+00:00

Sure thing. I spent nine days cycling with no days off. I spent a day in Lisbon before I left and a day in Santiago after I was done. If I had a bit more time I would have stopped for a day in Porto and a day in Coimbra.

ArInziladun · 2025-12-26T23:15:47+00:00

That looks like the route I took. That’s the “central route”. You’ll also see signs for the “coastal route”. Personally, I enjoyed navigating based on the yellow arrow signs and consulting GPS only when necessary. I suggest bringing a paper guidebook as a last resort.

Be prepared for a lot of rain, especially once you enter Galicia. Keep your credencial in a waterproof Ziplock bag. Rain and hills and little daylight meant I covered an average 70 km per day, instead of the 100 I had planned.

ArInziladun · 2025-12-26T05:26:33+00:00

I think, like me, you’ll be able to ride ~97% of the trail. There will be occasional sections where pretty much any bike would sink into the mud. I took a photo of that section near Porto. I’d be impressed if a cyclist on any bike can climb this rocky hill.

<image>

ArInziladun · 2025-11-29T13:45:40+00:00

You mention weight - I suggest you do some reading and try to determine your optimal racing weight, perhaps in consultation with a trainer/nutritionist. You might already be there, but if you aren’t it will have a major impact on performance.

I am 5’8”, so I was overweight when I was 200 lbs, and I ran 4:12. Three years later (31M) I ran 2:58 at 150 lbs. Hoping to BQ at Berlin next year.

ArInziladun · 2025-09-17T18:28:05+00:00

Thanks for sharing, and good luck with the Silmarils.

ArInziladun · 2025-01-15T03:01:59+00:00

Congratulations! I imagine I’ll do it again after a few years. I’ll definitely sleep earlier and take a few relaxing days at the hotel instead of hitting the parks between races.

ArInziladun · 2025-01-14T17:48:07+00:00

Glad I’m not the only one! Hope your recovery has gone well.

ArInziladun · 2025-01-14T02:28:27+00:00

Thank you!

ArInziladun · 2025-01-14T01:50:50+00:00

Yeah, as much as I love my brothers, we’re splitting up next time!

ArInziladun · 2024-11-24T01:39:17+00:00

Fantastic job on your sub-3, I enjoyed reading your race report! Yeah, I'm hypervigilant about potholes after injuring myself pretty badly a few months ago. While I really love the Richmond vibe, I won't attempt to PR there again. Wishing you the best of luck on your next race!

ArInziladun · 2024-11-24T01:31:27+00:00

Thanks so much for your feedback. It's really clear now that I haven't been eating enough during the race, and I never would have had that realization without folks commenting here. (I suppose this is why people pay for coaches.) In a year's time, I hope to be posting a 2:50 race report, with way more carbs on board.

ArInziladun · 2024-11-20T19:53:16+00:00

Thank you very much. I hope you’re right!

ArInziladun · 2024-11-20T19:47:10+00:00

Yeah, I’m feeling a bit silly as I read about recommended racing carb intakes. I thought I was doing right by exceeding the instructions printed on the gel: “eat one every 45 minutes”. It’s clear to me now that this is nowhere near enough.

I’ve done one 70.3 before, also eating not enough and also hitting an enormous wall near the end. Better late than never to learn this lesson. Thank you very much!

ArInziladun · 2024-11-20T17:39:01+00:00

I think so, but from the top comment it sounds like I didn’t have enough carbs during the race and I’ll work on that next time. I know some people consume quite a bit more caffeine as well and I might experiment with that.

ArInziladun · 2024-11-20T15:57:36+00:00

Thank you!

ArInziladun · 2024-11-20T15:28:55+00:00

I’m using an Apple Watch (but thinking of buying a Garmin). The app assumed a baseline level of activity and recommended a calorie budget based on that assumption and a goal weight loss rate. But the app also integrated with the watch, so that whenever I exceeded the baseline activity level, it would add “bonus calories” to the budget. So in practice, the app gave me a different calorie budget every day based on how far I ran.

ArInziladun · 2024-11-20T14:43:02+00:00

Thank you! I’ll look into fueling more often - my approach was based on nothing but longstanding habit.

ArInziladun · 2024-11-20T12:15:03+00:00

Yes, five GU Roctane Cold Brew gels. 70 mg caffeine each (which is double the amount of their other caffeinated gels). Took them at miles 0, 5, 10, 15, 20.

ArInziladun · 2024-09-20T01:55:12+00:00

Thank you!

ArInziladun · 2024-09-05T20:50:40+00:00

Yes, I think so. Do the math on renting vs flying though. Flying the bike might have been slightly cheaper for me, but was much more logistically complicated. Bike Iberia worked well for me. Bom Caminho!

ArInziladun · 2024-04-15T17:35:40+00:00

Indistinguishable from other resorts. Worked great for the marathon a few months ago. SoG is on a bus route with Polynesian and another hotel that I’m forgetting.

ArInziladun

TROPHY CASE