Andalusia and Sierra Nevada Cycling Trip

£1595.00 per person in a shared room.

£1895.00 per person in a single room.

Join us for a spectacular trip in beautiful Andalusia and Sierra Nevada.

Based in two fantastic locations, Granada and Calahonda, on the coast, this trip gives you the best of two worlds. In Granada, we will be based at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains with long climbs on quiet roads and in Calahonda, we have the opportunity to explore coastal areas and ride into the quiet roads of the countryside away from the coast.

We are running this trip at the beginning of June to avoid the high temperatures that this region experiences later in the summer.

Besides the amazing riding, you can dream of perfect tapas, devine Rioja wine and fabulous, friendly towns and villages where we will stay and ride.

The riding will suit anyone who has done some training and enjoys riding in the mountains. You don’t need to be fast, as we have support in place to ride with you and we’ll also have a vehicle on the road to top up drinks and snacks. The second half of the week will not be entirely riding hilly routes as we intend to take you to some quiet stretches of coastal road as well as into the hills.

We will stay for the first 4 nights in the World Heritage City of Granada. If you haven’t been before, it’s a treat waiting to be discovered. It sits at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, which top out at 3400m.

The town has plenty of things to do when you aren’t on the bike, including, if you wish, a trip to the Alhambra Palace.

When we leave Granada, we’ll descend to the coast on an amazing road that was once a goat track! Now, it is a lovely well surfaced road that winds through the hills down towards the coast, where we we will spend the next 3 nights.

Our base will be in Calahonda, which may be familiar to some of you. It’s a coastal town and holiday resort, although quieter than some of the resorts further down the coast near Malaga.

You can be assured of some beautiful rides along the coast and into the hills and you won’t be disappointed with the accommodation that we have found for us to stay in.

A celebration banquet on our final Friday evening will be followed by transfers back to Malaga for the flights home.

This trip is for the more discerning cyclist that can see beyond the Alps or Dolomites and looks for different adventures on quiet roads elsewhere. You won’t be disappointed!

Most days we will cycle between 50 – 65 miles and climb on average 2000m each day. Options to take shorter flatter routes are available if you wish for an easier ride.

Our usual level of care and attention goes should go without saying. We want you to enjoy yourselves as much as possible.

Price includes hotels, breakfast and evening meal. Also transfers to and from Malaga airport and between hotels where required.

It includes a supporting vehicle to resupply on the road alongside a minimum of 2 outriders actually helping and guiding around the routes. They will also help with any minor mechanicals if needed.

What’s not included: flights, lunchtime food, energy products.

Info/Arrival

Shared Room: £1595.00 per person / Single Room: £1895.00 per person

If you intend to fly with Easyjet from Bristol, please take the flight that leaves Bristol at 12.20 and arrives in Malaga at 16.00. There is an earlier flight that you can take but you will need to amuse yourself until 16.00 when the bus will arrive to take you to Granada. If you will arrive in Granada from a different location, please try to arrive by 16.00. Please let us know your travel details so we can ensure you are met in time.

On arrival at Malaga Airport we will transport you and your bike to the hotel in Granada. If you wish to hire a bike, this will be ordered and will be delivered to the hotel ready for you to ride on Sunday morning.

Dinner will be eaten in the hotel or a local restaurant. Wine is included with your dinner.

Costs include, transport to and from Malaga Airport, hotel accommodation, breakfast, dinner with wine and souvenir riding jersey. The ride will be fully supported with on road guides and vehicle support.

Please note that minor repairs can be undertaken but major problems may need attention from a bike shop. We will carry spares (tubes, chain links, tyres etc.) but we advise you to bring anything you think you may need in case it is not available in the mountains.

Flight costs are not included in the cost of the trip.

Day 1

Our first day of riding will take us north out of Granada and follows a clockwise loop to the lake near the village of Lopera before heading back towards Granada.

This is quite a long day in the saddle, with a distance of 118km, although the climbing is not too strenuous with 1500m of ascent.

The roads are quiet and you will have some excellent views of the Sierra Nevada range, where we will ride tomorrow.

When we arrive back in Granada you will have plenty of time to explore the town before dinner in the evening.

Day 1 Stats: 118km. 1539m ascent

View Map of Day 1

Day 2

Today we’ll hit the highest point of the trip when we ride to the village of Sierra Nevada.

Although the road is rarely very steep, it is a long ride from the hotel to the village, at over 30km. It’s a great climb and when we reach the village, the keenest riders among us will be able to ride further up to Pico de Valeta, which at 3398m is Europe’s highest cycling climb.

For anyone that feels that they have done enough climbing already, the village at Sierra Nevada has plenty of cafes and restaurants where you can grab some lunch and even a beer (within reason – don’t forget the descent to come), because the effort is all behind you and you have a long descent back to Granada ahead of you.

We intend to get a fairly early start on this ride so that you will have plenty of time to look around Granada or visit the Alhambra Palace if you wish when we get back. (Contact us to book Alhambra tickets in advance – payment on arrival is rarely available)

Day 2 Stats: 80km. 2369m ascent

View Map of Day 2

Day 3

Today we will head north out of Granada and head towards the lake Embalse de Colmera.

It’s a lovely route and one that will keep you interested all day long.

We’ll take the shortest route out of the city and head north east towards Alfacar. It’s a tough start, with almost 600m of climbing in the first 15km, but your efforts will be rewarded with a lovely flowing descent of 17km to the small lake at Cubillas.

Our route then undulates, but gradually gains height until we reach the lake, where we can stop for lunch.

After lunch, we’ll head south and will tackle the steep 5km climb up to Moclin. Once we have descended from Moclin, the route will continue south on quiet roads before hitting Granada from the west, where we will ride a short distance through the city back to the hotel.

There is an option to cut off around 45km of this route if your legs are feeling like they need a bit of a rest.

Day 3 Stats: 118km. 2181m ascent

View Map of Day 3

Day 4

Our ride today takes us out of the mountains and down to the coast, where we will stay for the next 3 nights.

We start with a long, but gradual climb out of the city as we head south up to the Alto del Legionario at 1350m.

Following the climb, the road tumbles down towards the coast and you will enjoy a 30km descent! A short climb at Jete breaks up the descent but another 10km of descending awaits after this short uphill stretch.

We’ll leave the quieter mountain roads and join the coast road for the last 15km to Calahonda. Our hotel is near to the beach and to several bars where you can sit and enjoy the afternoon sunshine along with a cold drink.

Day 4 Stats: 98km. 1537m ascent

View Map of Day 4

Day 5

Today, we’ll start with a pleasant ride along the coast. It’s almost flat for the first 25km until we reach La Rabita.

Once we leave La Rabita, we will head into the mountains towards Haza del Lino, a tiny village up in the hills. We’ll stop for lunch here before taking the spectacular descent to Los Carlos.

After passing Los Carlos, the road heads uphill again as we climb up to Collado Pecho de Gallego. It’s a 10km climb but the gradient is shallow.

Once we have summited, the road twists and turns back down towards the coast where we will pick up the coast road again and head back to Calahonda.

Day 5 Stats: 105km. 2799m ascent

View Map of Day 5

Day 6

Our final day on the bike is a much easier one than some of the previous days, you will doubtless be glad to know.

We’ll head along the coast road for 9km and then turn away and head into the hills. We don’t climb particularly high, the highest point today being 768m.

The route meanders through the hills just inland from the coast and you will be given some fantastic views of the Mediterranean as we cycle along.

We’ll drop down to the Motril Marina in El Varadero and cycle along to the Hoyo 19 Beach Club, where we can enjoy lunch next to the beach.

Our route back to Calahonda takes us along the coast road and should anyone wish to stop at some of the numerous small towns or beaches for afternoon refreshments you are welcome to do so.

In the evening, we’ll enjoy a celebration dinner with plenty of drinks flowing and the traditional prize giving ceremony.

Day 6 Stats: 65km. 1279m ascent

View Map of Day 6

Departure

What’s Included

Hotels & Accommodation

All accommodation will be arranged for the dates highlighted in the tour.

Refreshments

The support vehicles will always make itself available to provide you with your refreshments. If you need a water refill on a climb, we will stop in a convenient place to help you out.

Evening Meals

We provide all of the evening meals along with wine either at the hotel or at carefully selected restaurants . Our tours aren’t just about great cycling they’re also about great food.

Airport Transfers

We will pick you up and drop you off at the required airports.

Bike Storage
We understand how much you love your bike and we will do everything we can to help keep them safe. Each hotel we stay at has good quality bike storage and we supply additional chains and padlocks to ensure excellent security.

GPS Routes

As well as having a support rider and support van in close proximity we will also provide you with the routes so you can load them onto you navigation device. If you don’t have a navigation device we can rent you one locally.

Tools

We carry a comprehensive tool kit in the back of the support vehicle along with a number of basic replacement parts. Each member of our team is capable of helping with bike maintenance and basic repairs. We do advise however that you know how to disassemble and assemble your own bike and have the tools to do so. Please bring spare inner tubes and a puncture repair kit.

What’s Needed:

Fitness

Riding in the mountains is tough and we create our tours to ensure maximum levels of achievement which comes hand in hand with maximum physical exertion. For this reason we recommend a decent level of fitness and motivation. We will happily create routes for any level of fitness and experience so if you have any concerns please feel free to contact us, together we can come up with the best possible options to suit your needs.

Bike

For these tours we suggest that you bring your own bike. While we can advise you on hiring a bike in Spain, it is generally better that you have your own. You need to be comfortable on your bike for long periods of time.

Helmet

We expect you to wear a helmet at all times while riding.

Clothing

Please bring appropriate clothing. The climbs can be hot but the long, fast descents can get cold especially if you are damp from the hard climb. Extra layers can be kept in the support vehicle so that you don’t have to carry them but please ensure that you bring good quality kit.

It is also advisable to bring good sun protection.

Granada

The Goat’s Path

Roads in Sierra Nevada