Ibai Fradejas from the Shimano Gravel Alliance is a big believer in making your weekend as gravelly as possible, but also trying to mix things up a bit. A different route, a new location, even different ride partners can all give your gravel rides some extra oomph.

A Sunday doesn’t have to be any other Sunday if you decide to do something different. You could go and explore somewhere new, scope out its trails, maybe even get lost and end up retracing your steps...

All these unknowns spark a sense of nervousness and motivation and send adrenaline coursing through your veins. In turn, it produces dopamine, the hormone that makes you feel special. Alive, even.

My plan on this particular Sunday was simple - ride the Sierra de la Carbonilla, following a straightforward route that I had mapped out over breakfast.

The Sierra de la Carbonilla belongs to Las Merindades and is the natural boundary between Castilla y León and the Basque Country. Despite geographically only covering a small area, the possibilities for exploration were infinite. Summits, steep sides, waterfalls, caves....

As soon as we got into the mountain range, we found a wooden tower that was easily climbed. From here, we could appreciate the entire mountain range and look out over what we still had ahead of us.

Halfway up the climb to the peak, we found a signpost painted in red on the rock itself indicating the presence of the Fuente de las Callejas. That was another reason to stop and admire our surroundings.

The highest point of the route was the tip of the mountain range itself, where there were several telephone antennas. This was the Castro Grande, 1,086 meters above sea level, from which we could see the Valley of Mena (Castilla y León) on the left and the Valley of Aiara on the right (Basque Country).

It felt like we’d already had our cake and eaten it after observing the incredible views from the top, but fortunately there was more in store - the Túnel de la Complacera. This is an old mining tunnel that was previously used to take the coal ore, which gives its name to this mountain range, down to the sea. 

After going through this relic, we realised that we still had to descend more than 500 meters down a fairly technical single track. 

Now I’m back home and I’ve caught my breath. The day made me realise how easy it is to enjoy a different day on a bike and how lucky I am to know more about the history of my environment.

I suggest you consider doing the same this Sunday…..