Well, another one bites the dust! I’d been wanting to do this trip for a while, and now it’s officially in the books. It turned out to be tougher than I anticipated, but not so hard that it left me drained. Maybe it would’ve been better to come a bit later—say, mid-May—to catch warmer temperatures. Then again, the weather lately has the consistency of a coin flip, so a cold snap or a heatwave is never too far off. Good thing I didn’t need to camp.
When I arrived yesterday in front of the Cathedral, I only felt mildly excited. Not exactly fireworks and tearful triumph. Maybe because it was my third time there, or because the trip wasn’t long enough to trigger that grand sense of victory. Or maybe it was the thought of needing to find cardboard boxes and pack the bike that was lurking in the back of my mind, dulling the moment. Or maybe… just call me jaded.
But in all seriousness, I’m happy I made this little wish come true.
Now, time to start prepping for the next one—it’s coming up pretty soon, so stay tuned!
El Camino in numbers:
815 km — distance cycled
10 316 m — elevation gain
45-50 km — typical cycling pace on Camino de Santiago
499 239 — pilgrims completed in 2024
20 776 — pilgrims completed the Camino de Santiago by bicycle in 2024
47% — of pilgrims traversed the French Way
130 days — rains in Santiago de Compostela—more than double the rainfall of Madrid