Desafio Lagos De Covadonga 2026

Come on, shake your body baby, do the Covadonga 🎶

In the heart of June, when the sun starts to warm the peaks, the legendary Desafio Lagos de Covadonga awaits you for a monumental challenge 😲. Nestled in the Picos de Europa National Park, this race gives you access to crazy landscapes, between Asturias, Cantabria and the province of León📍. Here, the Atlantic ecosystem shines in all its splendor through dense forests of oaks and beeches 🌲. It’s the secret territory of the brown bear and the Iberian wolf, even if on race day, the most fearsome predator will mostly be the road’s average gradient! 🥵

The big start is from the charming town of Cangas de Onís. From here, the two routes of this edition set off, designed to test your climbing abilities 📈. If you choose the Medio Fondo version of 99 km with its 1,200 m of elevation gain, you’re in for quite a chunk 🔥. The peloton rolls out happily through Arriondas at km 8, then Ribadesella at km 23.5, before continuing through Nueva de Llanes and Posada de Llanes 👁️. You’ll notably climb the Alto de La Tornería summit at km 58.8, topping out at nearly 500 m of altitude 👆. The finish line of this first route awaits you calmly in Covadonga 🏆. It’s the ideal compromise for treating yourself to a demanding profile, a real running race on pedals, without suffering the Gran Fondo’s intensity 🤗. Let’s talk about that course! For cyclists in search of eternal glory, the Gran Fondo route offers an XXL adventure of 111 km and 2,340 m of elevation gain 🏔️. The first 95 kilometers are a copy-paste of the first route, but everything changes after passing La Riera 😍. You’ll head toward the Lakes of Covadonga at 111 km, the high point of your adventure 🐟. This mythical climb offers breathtaking panoramas and a legendary final ramp 🤩.

Once you’ve crossed the line and the medal is around your neck, no question of heading straight to bed! ✋ Asturias is also discovered on the plate and at the bottom of a glass 🍷. Cangas de Onís is the perfect place to get initiated into the art of local sidra , poured with arms outstretched by servers to oxygenate it properly. You can pair this drink with a generous fabada asturiana, this ultra-light local cassoulet, ideal for digestion 🙃. Take the time to stroll under the city’s famous Roman bridge or go admire the historic sanctuary of Covadonga nestled in its cave 🔎.

If you’re not coming for the PR, come for the panoramas! 🏞️