Clásica de Navarra/Nafarroako Klasikoa
Category: 1.Pro
Distance: 175.9 km
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Map
Unpaved sectors
| Number | Sector | Length | Km | Km to go |
1 | Zolina-Mutilva (1st passage) | 3,2 | 17,6 | 158,2 |
2 | Sarriguren-Olaz | 0,6 | 22,1 | 153,7 |
3 | Ibiriku-Pasandiburu | 3,7 | 31,3 | 144,5 |
4 | Ustárroz | 0,3 | 32 | 143,8 |
5 | Biurrun (1st passage) | 1,5 | 64,9 | 110,9 |
6 | Muruzábal | 2,2 | 75,4 | 100,4 |
7 | Maldartea-Mendigorria | 8,3 | 91,3 | 84,5 |
8 | La Grisuela-Kaskiturria | 9,8 | 104,9 | 70,9 |
9 | Duiderra-Artajona | 7,8 | 115,5 | 60,3 |
10 | Altos de Karikadoia | 4,1 | 122,7 | 53,1 |
11 | Presa de Artajona-Añorbe | 4,1 | 130,7 | 45,1 |
12 | Biurrun (2nd passage) | 1,5 | 141,6 | 34,2 |
13 | Campanas-Beriáin | 4,0 | 151,1 | 24,7 |
14 | Noáin-Tajonar/Taxoare | 1,5 | 164 | 11,8 |
15 | Zolina-Mutilva (2nd passage) | 3,2 | 169,5 | 6,3 |
Link to the route
The Spanish (and Basque) calendar ends very early compared to the other big cycling countries, let's fix that. Navarra currently only has the one men's race at the professional level, the GP Indurain, although the women do travel here for the double-header of Nafarroako Klasikoa and Clásica de Navarra, which were raced last weekend. This race has little in common with any of those races, although it does share two climbs with the latter.
The other thing the late-season calendar is missing is opportunities for the more Flandrien-esque riders. Sure, the WC usually suits them to some extent, but after that, there's only the abomination that is the current version of Paris-Tours. Now I could have gone for a cobbled race, but this would feel a bit out of place in the late season, so a sterrato race was a must for me. This race features no less than 55.9 kilometres on unpaved roads, and unlike Paris-Tours these shouldn't oversized rocks as far as I can tell.
We start from Villava, or Atarrabia in Basque. A village that has been swallowed by the expansion of Pamplona, its only true claim to fame is being the birthplace of Miguel Indurain. I don't think I need to bother with a biography here, but it would certainly have been a crime not to pay homage to the greatest rider Navarra has ever known and probably will ever know in a race through the area.
The neutralisation takes us to the edge of the Pamplona conurbation, where we embark on a loop over the little climb to Ardanaz de Egüés. On the way back, we reach the first sector of the day, Zolina-Mutilva. At 3.2 kilometres, it's far from the longest of the day, but it features a decent uphill in its first part. It backs directly into the Muro de Badostain, a short, but steep hill frequented by races passing through the area. As far as I can tell, its last inclusion in a professional race was in the second stage of the 2019 Itzulia.
From here, we follow some of the roads used by that stage, first through the short sector of Sarriguren-Olaz, then onto the uphill ramp into Gorraiz where that stage finished, and finally down two more sectors: Ibiriku-Pasandiburu, which contains the climb to Bordazar, and Ustárroz, the shortest of the day. These sectors didn't really have the desired effect in that Itzulia stage and Julian Alaphilippe ended up winning from an uphill sprint, but here we will be heading to much harder terrain. Not immediately, though, as it takes almost 30 kilometres from here to reach the next obstacle, the Muro de Tiebas, one of the two climbs this race shares with the Clásica de Navarra.
From here, it's only a short distance to the fifth sector of the day, the short and flattish Biurrun. The next sector, Muruzábal, is harder in both aspects, but not by too much. It is followed by the very short, but steep Muro de Obanos. Just after this, we pass through Puente la Reina, named after the eponymous 11th-century bridge. The bridge, in turn, was named after queen Muniadona, the wife of the king of Navarre at the time, who (supposedly) had the bridge built here, at the convergence of the French and Aragonese routes, for pilgrims on their way to Santiago.
The passage through Puente la Reina, just before the midway point, also marks the moment where the going becomes much harder, as the next three sectors are the longest of the race. We start with the hilliest of the three, Maldartea-Mendigorria, from where there's still a short climb on asphalt to reach the latter village. There is almost no respite after this, as the longest sector, La Grisuela-Kaskiturria, follows almost immediately, and there's a similarly-short distance from here to the start of the next sector, Duiderra-Artajona. At the end of the latter, there are 70 kilometres left to race.
In Artajona, we reach the second and final climb shared with the Clásica de Navarra, Muro de Artajona.
There's just one surprise... it's cobbled. Here's an impression from the 2020 edition of the Clásica de Navarra.
The climb ends at the walls of the fortress of Artajona, dating back to the late 11th century. The area is also known for its dolmens.
Moving back to the racing, there's an easy descent, a brief flat, then the most treacherous sector of the day starts. Altos de Karikadoia may only be 4.1 kilometres in length, but it contains both the hardest climb and the steepest descent out of any sector. After returning to the tarmac, there's a steady climb to Corraliza de Altakaio, which I've included in the profile.
After a short flat section alongside the reservoir, we enter the next sector, the rolling Embalse de Artajona-Añorbe. It is followed immediately by the hardest climb of the day to Portillo del Monte. We still have 43.8 kilometres to go from here, but a big selection should have been made by this point, as the rest of the race is less hard.
That isn't to say that there are no more difficult points, though. First, we return to the sector of Biurrun, this time continuing through the village onto the Muro de Biurrun, from its easier side which is descended in the Clásica de Navarra but featuring some good ramps nonetheless.
The next sector, Campanas-Beriáin, is the longest remaining one, at 4 kilometres in length, but relatively flat. From here, we are forced to detour a bit because passable motorway under- and overpasses are few and far between, but eventually we reach the short climb to Alto de Noáin. The last 50 metres are shared with the penultimate sector, Noáin-Tajonar/Taxoare, just 1.5 kilometres in length. While the rest of the sector is mostly downhill and in good state, these 50 metres are badly eroded, the easiest solution may be to just pave this brief section.
From here, we return once more to the duet of the final sector of Zolina-Mutilva and Muro de Badostain. The latter comes at just 5.4 kilometres to go. This final stretch into Pamplona/Iruña is rolling, but mostly on wide roads. We finish outside the Plaza de Toros.
Pamplona originated in the 1st century BC, but rose to prominence in the Middle Ages, when it became the seat of the Basque-speaking Kingdom of Navarre, which was formally established in the early 9th century. Originally under Cordoban influence, it reached its peak under the reign of Sancho the Great - husband to the aforementioned Muniadona - when it controlled large parts of what is now Northern Spain. It was divided after his death and never reached those heights again, with both France and Aragon ruling it from time to time. Eventually, in the early 16th century, the part south of the Pyrenees was annexed by Aragon and then Castile, and the northern part became a part of France soon after, with both countries claiming the entirety of Navarre for some time after. Pamplona remained the capital of an autonomous Navarra until 1841; an important moment in the ending of Basque home rule in the 19th century which continues to affect the present.
Pamplona itself was not allowed to grow past the confines of its military fortress constructed upon annexation until the late 19th century; the fortress itself was partially dismantled in the First World War. This allowed for industrialisation and significant economic development Today, it is something of a transition from the Basque Country to inland Spain, both in terms of climate and linguistics, and is also very well known for its running of the bulls event.
Central square of Pamplona.
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