Swim a lap for me," calls Gustavo from the beach patrol's high perch on Playa Paraiso. "Don't worry," he adds, "I'll look after your racing bike." Helmet, jersey and shoes stay on the bike, the trousers are taken into the sea and then under the beach shower, as they dry quickly on this bright June day. We've only just covered thirty kilometres since our start in Alicante, but it would be criminal to refuse a swim, because the sea and sand are just as the beach name promises: paradisiacal. Gustavo from Argentina works on the Spanish Costa Blanca in the summer, as a stranger among strangers. Alongside the Costa del Sol, the "White Coast" is one of the most popular holiday destinations on the Mediterranean. Sunshine, coves with rocky backdrops, wide beaches such as Playa Paraiso: it must be fantastic for road cycling too! It certainly is - if you can find ways to avoid the coastal road. The map shows it in bold red as the N-340, national road three hundred and forty. What a hateful number! Full of cars and lorries fleeing the motorway toll. No road cyclist can avoid it completely, even coastal experts have to use the hard shoulder for short sections. Then it's time to think positively and, after the leisurely pace along the beach promenades, crank up the speed uninhibitedly. Until the next turn-off to the sea.
You can find these routes for 6 days in the PDF download:
DAY 1: Costa Blanca
(104 kilometres, 20 kilometres of swimming, 1,080 metres in altitude)
DAY 2: Gulf of Valencia
(119 kilometres, 38 bathing kilometres, 380 metres in altitude)
DAY 3: Costa del Azahar
(111 kilometres, 18 bathing kilometres, 560 metres in altitude)
DAY 4: Catalonia's Ebro Delta
(130 kilometres, 24 bathing kilometres, 570 metres in altitude)
DAY 5: Costa Daurada
(91 kilometres, 26 bathing kilometres, 530 metres in altitude)
DAY 6: Contrasts off Barcelona
(100 kilometres, 40 kilometres of swimming, 640 metres in altitude)
GPS DATA: TOUR offers the tour data for free download. You can download the tracks in GPX format directly onto a GPS device or view them on your computer in Google Earth or Google Maps.
