The area surrounding the road that is used to ride from Villavelayo to the Lagunas de Neila is virtually deserted. We also saw hardly any cars. Over the first 11.5 kilometers, from Villavelayo to the village of Neila, the road winds pleasantly through the valley of the Río Neila. Some rock formations are impressive. The gradient of the road varies greatly but none of the 500 meter segments is steeper than 5%. After Neila the road leaves the valley and leads through a beautiful landscape with extensive livestock farming to the Puerto el Collado. Gradually it gets steeper, initially the gradient measures 5% but the last part before reaching the pass reaches 10%. The final 4.2 kilometers of the ride, starting at the Puerto de Collado, are most interesting for real climbers. The slope averages 11.1%. However, I found this section less scenic than the part of the ride before the Puerto de Collado. From the end point of the bike ride several roads and hiking trails lead to the lakes, which together bear the name Lagunas de Neila.