Some cyclists' dreams remain unfulfilled. "Military security area", a signal-coloured sign barks at us. My buddy Christian and I stand on the 1,024 metre high Port de Tudons and stare longingly through the barred gate in the direction of Alto de Aitana. It would still be a good 500 metres in altitude from the top of the Tudons pass to its summit. The highest mountain in the region towers 1,558 metres above the Costa Blanca. But it is located in a restricted military area, with masts and radar installations on its summit. Only when the route planners of the Vuelta a España once again have a mountain finish on the Alto de Aitana in mind do cycling fans get the opportunity to conquer the summit on this one day. Damiano Cunego was the last professional to triumph there - in 2009.
The view from Aitana to the Mediterranean, barely 20 kilometres away, must be gigantic and a climb up there would have been a crowning finale to our week of touring on the Spanish coast. But our resentment was short-lived. We had no shortage of stunning panoramas to complain about over the past few days. The biggest surprise: our form improved rapidly. Having only travelled a few kilometres in the spring, after just a few days we were finding tours with significantly more than a thousand metres of elevation gain frighteningly easy. This may be due to the nature of many of the climbs, which wind their way through the mountains at single-digit percentages. Or the fact that we chose almost flat routes at the beginning, along the coast and through the citrus plantations. But perhaps the Mediterranean ambience is more motivating than expected, as is the knowledge that some professional teams set up their training camps on the Costa Blanca.
The Costa Blanca, introduced as a tourist term in the 1950s, is the approximately 150 kilometre-long stretch of coastline in the Spanish province of Alicante. The northern border with the province of Valencia is roughly at Dénia, the southern border with the province of Murcia at Pilar de la Horadada. Our touring area is located in the triangle of the coastal towns of Dénia, Benidorm and Alcoy inland. It is easy to find on the map because of the prominent spur in the centre of the Spanish coast, which is exactly level with the Balearic island of Formentera, which you can even see on a clear day.
In the hinterland between Dénia and Calpe, there are fertile plains with citrus plantations - a flat to hilly terrain with quiet side roads. The larger roads near the coast are dangerous due to the heavy traffic. However, as soon as you enter the mountains, a beautiful touring paradise opens up. The highest points of our routes are between 700 and 1,000 metres above sea level. The climbs, which are not too long, are ideal for those who are not yet in top form in spring. Depending on your level of training, a compact crank and 25 teeth on the rear wheel are sufficient. Caution: Signposting is often in Spanish and Valencian - and is particularly poor in the towns.
You can download the complete travel report with these tours and the GPS data below:
- TOUR 1: In the Vall de Gallinera (112 km, 1,400 m elevation gain, max. 18 % gradient)
- TOUR 2: Coll des Rates (100 km, 1,680 m elevation gain, max. 11 % gradient)
- TOUR 3: Sierra Aixorta (78 km, 1,500 m elevation gain, max. 8 % gradient)
- TOUR 4: On the tracks of the Vuelta (103 km, 2,160 m elevation gain, max. 8 % gradient)
