The final queen stage demands one last big effort from both legs and gear. The track leaves the granite stone streets of Santiago behind, plunging straight into the steep, deeply rural hills of northern Galicia. Quiet, narrow country roads carve through thick eucalyptus forests and past ancient stone hamlets. Multiple punchy climbs break up the rhythm as the route winds through isolated river valleys heading north. After a long day of accumulation, the heavy forest gives way to a fresh, salty ocean breeze. The epic journey wraps up on the rugged peninsula of A Coruña, with the wheels finally rolling to a stop beneath the Tower of Hercules—the world's oldest functional Roman lighthouse.
