Winter cycling in Spain, January-February 2024

A few weeks cycling in Spain is a real treat during a cold, wet and windy winter in Britain. This post is all about where to go, how to do it and what to expect.

This WhatsApp says it all really. Winter in North West England generally offers up two options: crisp, cold, clear days, beautiful on the eye but with icy roads, lethal for cycling. Or wet and windy with heavy, overcast skies, lethal for motivation! It’s even worse for Martin in Scotland.

During Indian summer days in September you can’t help but wince at the cost of a month in Spain in Jan/Feb but we know winter can feel very long for cyclists.

Where:

It’s easy if you have a huge budget. As cost-conscious cyclists we’ve settled on mainland Spain as the best winter sun cycling destination.

We tried Cyprus one February…it snowed!
We tried Mallorca…it rained cold, hard rain.
We tried Lanzarote…breezy and a bit bleak.
We tried Gran Canaria…lovely weather but a bit brutal for us for a month with winter fitness.
Tenerife might be great for pros on Mount Teide but not for us.

The World Health Organisation has declared the Costa Blanca the most perfect climate in Europe. I’m not sure all the locals would agree nowadays (“The way things are going we’ll be a dessert”) but it generally provides bright, sunny and fairly warm weather in the winter:

The resorts along the coast are good for a week or ten days. Benidorm, Calpe (playground of the pros), Denia, Javea all offer a range of accommodation and other tourist and cycling infrastructure. Jet2.com offer great packages for cyclists. For anything longer (for us anyway) staying further inland is better:

360deg scope
avoids busier coastal roads
not always starting at sea level.

We want to self-cater and so we will stay in the village of Orba for two weeks and then two weeks slightly further west in Cocentaina. Both booked through Airbnb.

Travel

Fly.

+Quick

+Relatively cheap travel

-Expensive car hire or restricted to resort

-Usual worries about flying with a bike

-Emissions

-Limited luggage/kit

Drive.

+Car gives flexibility in Spain, eg. rest days, shopping etc

+Bikes transported safely

+Unlimited luggage/kit

-Journey time, 2-3 days

-Cost: fuel, crossing, tolls, hotels etc

-Tiring

-Emissions

Ferry to Spain. Brittany Ferries, Portsmouth to Santander

+Car gives flexibility in Spain, eg. rest days, shopping etc

+Bikes transported safely

+Unlimited luggage/kit

+Relaxing

+Most ecological?

-Journey time

-Cost

We’re travelling by Brittany Ferries, Portsmouth to Santander. Two nights and one day on the outward sailing and a day and a half and one night on the return. It’s about a day’s drive from Santander to Costa Blanca.

Ferry tips: book a cabin, take a travel kettle, some snacks, lots to read and enough travel sickness tablets for an army!

What we're taking

Dry, sunny weather and smooth roads means "best road bikes"!

Cycling clothing:

Although rain is rare, temperatures can vary quite a bit. You might set off in the morning in 10 degrees and it could warm up to 22 by the afternoon. The highest climbs in the region are about 1000m. So we pack short & long sleeve jerseys, leg cover, light gloves, wind & rain jackets. Often we’re in shorts sleeves and shorts by the afternoons.

Bike spares:

Spare mechs as we run out-of-date 10 speed

Tyres & tubes

Tools

Lubes

Spare cassette

Brake & gear cables

Brake blocks

There are decent bike shops in the coastal resorts but I don’t want to waste time going there.

Other clothing extras:

Hiking kit

Sun hat

Warm jacket for cooler evenings

Odds & sods:

Portable oil-filled radiator in case villa heating is poor

Pegs & washing line

On-bike snacks & drink

Sun cream

A typical road...with almond blossom in February

Why ride here?

This is mountainous terrain, incorporating the Serra de Aitana and the Serra de Serrella.
Expect lots of climbing and few dull flat roads.
Gradients are generally kind, 5-10% (but there are some nasty tough sections up to 18%).
Some of the longest climbs, generally from the coast, are 15+km, but many inland are between 5 & 10km.
Once away from the coast there is very little traffic.
There are quite a few villages/small towns with a ready supply of cafes. We usually sit outside.
This area is a popular training ground for world tour and elite cyclocross pros, and individuals and groups are everywhere.

We recently came upon the FDJ women's team car and a couple of riders. A quick chat with the driver and a small gift.

Sharing a cafe with Movistar women's team a couple of years ago.

Where to stay...

I think the towns and villages in or near the Val de Pop are the best base for us in this area: Xalo, Parcent, Alcalali. A great choice of routes, away from the bustle of the coast, much more ‘Spanish’, and with the facilities you need when self-catering. BUT you need a car.

Favourite routes and roads

There’s plenty online about the best rides in the area, eg. epicroadrides, & Active Maps has lots of great suggestions on the back.

The climb from Callosa to Guadalest and the Port de Confrides. 3-8%, quiet (except in the village of Guadalest), sweeping bends, some stunning panoramas around & after Guadalest. Cafe options in Callosa, Guadalest and Confides.
Coll de Rates from the south (Callosa). The north side from Parcent is famous and regularly used for ‘efforts’ by pros. But the south side is much longer, more interesting and more attractive. The road between Tarbena and the coll is stunning either way and one of my favourites. Heading south in the morning and north in the afternoon makes the most of the sunlight. Cafe options in Tarbena and Parcent.

Port de Bernia. A classic 8% ‘alpine’ climb from Xalo, about 10.5km. From Senija/Benissa it’s longer (about 17km) and shallower but with 4-5km of double digit nastiness at the end. Breathtaking views. Velosol Cycling Bar in Xalo is brilliant.

All the roads around Sella and Relleu. Just lovely (although see below). Cafe options in Sella and Relleu.
Port de Val de Ebo. Best from Pego. Another ‘alpine’ style climb. But the views heading towards Pego are superb. Cafes in Pego and Vall d’Ebo.

Petracos road south of Vall d’Ebo village. This is shown as a track on the ‘Active Maps’ map and nothing at all on Michelin. It is great tarmac all the way between the CV720 and Val de Ebo. Hidden away, deserted, climbing steadily through a gorge heading north.
Port de Tudons from the south (Finestrat, Orxeta, Villajoyosa). One of the longest in the area and well documented. Cafes in Sella (south side) and Alcoleja (north). Nothing at the top!

Port de Benifallim from the north (Penaguila, Benilloba). Really quiet, twisting and turning all the way through almond groves which look beautiful in February. Sub-10% gradients. Cafe in La Torre de les Mecanes.

Words of caution

Col de la Gaga from Val de Pop (CV720) to Orba or Murla. The south side is a relentless succession of steep hairpins on a very narrow road, so narrow that it’s easy to miss the start! Coming the other way, it’s a lovely climb to Fleix from either town but savage thereafter on a rough concrete road at times. But there’s a nice cafe at the top!
CV782 from Relleu to La Torre de les Mecanes. Active Maps gives an average gradient of 5.1%. DON’T BE DECEIVED, it consists of, perhaps, 4 or 5 viscous, steep ramps (I’m too traumatised to remember exactly) with flatish sections in between. We’ll never do it again! It’s an absolute blast going the other way though…

A second area is west of Alcoy.

This area is even quieter than the first.
The terrain is more rolling on the whole although there’s still plenty of climbing to be had.
There are slightly fewer tarmac roads.
Very low traffic volume but still towns and villages for the essential cafe stops.
A good base is the sizable town of Ontinyent.

We have only stayed in this area once and had a fantastic 10 days with Escapar www.escapar.cc

This year we’ll be staying on the ‘border’ between the two areas, in Cocentaina as we couldn’t find suitable self-catering accommodation in Ontinyent. Here you also need a car.

Port de Beniarres

Gravel riding

There are plenty of fantastic gravel roads all over Spain (something for another post). We don’t bother with gravel bikes in the Serra de Aitana area as the off-road terrain looks savagely steep and there are more than enough stunning roads. West of Alcoy the gravel riding is fantastic. We were a bit unsure of access and navigation and so bought into the excellent guiding of Escapar.

Maps for the area

Active Maps have produced a brilliant map of the area for cyclists. It shows all the major climbs with distances and average gradients. It also suggests 11 classic routes in the area. Highly recommended.

Michelin “Costa Blanca” is, like all Michelin maps, excellent. A good scale for road riding and height shading rather than contour lines.