The best traffic-free bike rides in Las Ubiñas-La Mesa

Upon reaching the summit, you don't arrive at a village or a tourist center, but rather at a kind of natural balcony overlooking the Lena mountain passes, which gives a strange feeling, as if you've stepped onto an empty stage. And on clear days, the wind is louder among the mountain passes than any car, because traffic is minimal.

For decades, La Cubilla was practically a ghost town: a road built to connect mining valleys, used more by livestock farmers and scattered trucks than by travelers. This lack of traffic left a remarkably clean route, free of curves, absurd straights, and modern widenings: pure mountain design from another era. That's why many cyclists say it "looks more like an Alpine pass than a Cantabrian one," with those giant limestone walls silently accompanying you.

The La Cubilla mountain pass is located at an altitude of 1,683 meters, on the border between Asturias and León. Its rugged terrain and the beauty of its surroundings have earned it the title of stage finisher of the Vuelta a España, making it one of the most iconic climbs among cyclists.

Puerto de Ventana is a mountain pass located in the Cantabrian Mountains, between the Principality of Asturias and the province of León. It lies at an altitude of 1,587 meters and connects the municipality of San Emiliano in León with the Asturian municipality of Teverga. From the pass, you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the San Emiliano Valley, known as Babia de Yuso.

The data from the second day can be confusing, it is a short but intense stage. On the climb towards the meadows of Puerto de la Magdalena, after the village of Barrio, there are ten kilometres with gradients of 23/25 percent and although there are concrete sections, the walls are devastating, you have to regulate your strength well and arrive at the top with some breath to walk the Camín de la Mesa with joy and ease. The exit of the Senda del Oso from the streets of San Martín is comfortable on asphalt, until a detour that puts the Camino Natural in the shade of a pretty alley of chestnut trees and plots of pasture. In one of the meadows there is a reserve of European bison and other species of wild fauna that inhabited these Cantabrian valleys in prehistory, they are the animals that are represented in the cave paintings of several sites in Teverga. The animal enclosure is next to the interpretation centre of the Prehistory Park, a journey into the life of the Palaeolithic and the evolution of man through the interpretation of cave art, the inspiration of the figures, utensils and tools of that time reproduced in various cave spaces. The route leaves the Senda del Oso, leaves the company of the villages of the Teverga valley in San Salvador and goes up the road to Barrio, a small village nestled in the Somoza valley. The path continues straight ahead and soon the first concrete ramps appear marking the style of the climb, there is no respite, first through the forests of chestnut, oak and hazelnut trees and then through the beech forest to the clearing of the Braña de Carroceda. The slope seems to ease but there is still a cement ramp to the Braña de Fonfría, the effort has been worth it. The teito huts are distributed on the slopes of the mountain pasture, between the panoramic mountains of the Teverga valley, the shining mountain pastures, the flocks and the stands of holly, beech and birch trees that add wonderful notes of colour during the autumn. The track traces the last switchbacks and finally the spectacular green fields of Puerto de la Magdalena appear, full of cows and horses. At the crossroads with the Camín Real de la Mesa there is a cairn to clear up any doubts. The path gives a respite along the edge of the mountain range. The tracks go along a dizzying slope in Los Cumales and reach the gate of the Muru pass, the entrance to the fantastic pastoral landscapes of the Puertos de la Mesa. The tracks that continue straight ahead lead to the Braña de la Mesa and are marked with the signs for the short and long distance trails. The route continues uphill to the left, first along some rocky ruts and then along the side of Cuernu del Aguil, passing through the meadow of Collado del Arguil and ending at the cattle enclosure that marks the division between Asturias and León. Collado del Muñón or Puerto de la Mesa is at a lower altitude and to the right, following the enclosure in a southwesterly direction. On the ground there are ruts left by the cattlemen's cars, although the grass vines are very dense and it is practically cross-country but easy. At Puerto de la Mesa there are signs, there are the milestones of the old Roman road of Camín Real de la Mesa, the signs for the GR-101 and it is the entrance to the León valleys of Babia.

The route continues along the Asturian side, descends to Braña Nueva, and without leaving the Puerto de la Ventana road, continues along the Ricabo track. The first few kilometres do not descend from the mountain, they soar over the heights of the municipality of Teverga to the hermitage of Trobaniellu and at the Peñón de San Justo begins a beautiful and enjoyable descent towards Ricabo. In the steepest sections there are patches of concrete, asphalt or cement. The bikes descend at full speed and there is hardly time to enjoy the magic of the autumn beech groves and the rest of the forest jungles that appear while the path sinks into the bottom of a valley that seems endless. The stop at the Fonfría fountain is almost obligatory to fill up with water and then at the Los Garrafes springs, which can be dry depending on the time. The first village is Bueida and immediately Ricabo appears and the first signs for the Senda del Oso Nature Trail. The link from the village road to the Senda is a narrow and quite steep alley, with skill and strength you could climb it on a bike, but it doesn't matter because it is a hundred metres and in a few minutes you forget about the push bike going down a beautiful path towards Rodiles and Santa Marina.

Splendid plateau where you can admire the valley below. Excellent spot where you can practice climbing or go hiking

By road from Paramo or by mountain bike from the beech forest or from Cueva Huerta. La Focella and Pando are well worth a visit (each year) and not only for the lagoon and its views. De la Villa de Sub