Route 8: Through Eskinza and Sanbil

Type: MTB

Route with two well-differentiated parts; While in the first part (up to km 17.5) we will ride on roads in good condition, always going uphill, in the second part we will link without stopping one trail after another starting with the always fun, but also complicated, Cañada Real Tauste – Andía.

A very fast descent where the most skilled people will enjoy a lot and those who are not so skilled will have to take precautions in specific areas. Once this first section of trail is finished, we cross the Sierra de Eskinza after a steep climb and a quick descent down the road to face the last part of the route and undoubtedly the most spectacular.

Along a path, we ascend to the Alto de Burgueiro, a hard but beautiful climb. From here we link the heights of Iturtxuria and San Cruz along the crest of the mountain range, in a continuous up and down with spectacular views on both sides.

This trail is easier than the Cañada trail, but in general it is a route for the more technically prepared.

Technical data sheet

Type: MTB

Distance: 38,6 km.

Accumulated positive vertical drop (according to IBP index): 1.045 m.

Difficulty (IBP index): 100

PHYSICAL DIFFICULTY: HARD

To define the physical difficulty of the routes we have used the IBP index.IBP index is an automatic rating system that scores the physical difficulty of a route ridden on a mountain bike, road bike or gravel bike. This index is very useful to know the degree of physical difficulty of different routes by comparing them with each other.It is important not to confuse the degree of physical difficulty of a route with the effort it will take to complete it: an IBP index of 60 will be a very hard route for an uninitiated person, normal for someone with average preparation and very easy for a professional.In our case, we have taken as a reference a normal physical preparation to assess the physical difficulty of the routes.

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY: HARD

For this section there is no mathematical formula that gives us a number, so the assessment is based on knowledge gained from experience.

We have defined the technical difficulty in 3 levels:

– Green color: simple. There is no notable technical difficulty on the route.

– Blue color: medium. We can find areas that present some technical difficulties. In the case of gravel routes, these will be areas with steep uphill or downhill slopes on non-compacted soil, sections of trail or soil in poor condition. In the case of MTB routes, they may be uphill or downhill sections of trail with some complicated passages, due to the state of the terrain or because they are natural trails with a very damaged floor. In both cases, these sections represent a small percentage of the total length of the route.

– Red color: difficult. In both gravel and MTB we find complicated areas such as those defined in the blue color, but with greater frequency and intensity.On road routes the technical difficulty will always be green, but if the ground is wet or there are ice slabs present, the situation will change completely.