A warm, year-round climate, amazing local food and a choice between mountains, coast roads or country lanes make Spain cycling heaven. Here are seven of the best cycling tours:
(Photo: tripaneer.com)
With around 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, Spain is a year-round cycling destination. From the warm, rugged coast roads of the Costa Brava to the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, the country has every type of tarmac (and gravel) path you could wish for on two wheels. To get the best out of a cycling holiday, it pays to book an organised trip, where the hassle is minimal and new cycling buddies are plentiful. Plus it means you won’t be stopping every five minutes to look at the map. Here are seven of the best cycling tours in Spain:
7 Day Beyond Girona Cycling Tour in Spain
It’s no secret that Girona, and the roads around it, are catnip for professional cyclists. Beginning in the 90s, pros started turning up for the weather, the climbs and, later, the coffee shops that are often purpose built to cater for the Lycra-clad. This tour is a great place to start then, exploring the playground of mountain roads that plunge past medieval villages, welcoming wine regions, and down to the wild coast. It’s a six-day guided tour, with around 80km and 2,000m of elevation on most days so not extreme but definitely for the more serious cyclist. From € 3,399.
Book at tripaneer.com
7 Day Cycling Tour of Gran Canaria and Tenerife for Advanced Riders
Does pounding the tarmac with the pros in Girona sounds a bit lightweight for you? OK, then this tour of The Canary Islands steps it up a gear (or rather down considering the steepness of the hills) with one day hitting 117km of pedalling and a whopping 2,800 metres of altitude gain. There is one or two more chilled days thrown in, and the accommodations on offer are serene, often with a pool to relax in The whole thing feels really carefully and professionally put together to make it challenging, rather than just painful. From € 4,199.
Book at tripaneer.com
8 Day Guided Mountain Bike Holiday in the Sierra Nevada, Spain
(Photo: tripaneer.com)
In the great words of the Fast Show – let’s offroad. This eight-dayer features sun, sea, sand, and singletrack, hunting out the best trails all over the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. What makes this tour so good is that there are plenty of options, with a few uphill single tracks to take on for the super fit, as well as plenty of uplifts if you just want to enjoy the downhill. The guides can also give info on tailored routes to suit your capabilities, rather than you just plunging off that black run wondering where the track went. At the end of the day you can enjoy an ice-cold beer and free tapas while you take a dip in the sea. How good does that sound? From € 1,380.
Book at tripaneer.com
7 Day Malaga Winter Cycling Holiday in Andalusia
Soggy Lycra, numb hands, and a head full of excuses not to venture out again – all cyclists know the feeling of winter riding. This Malaga trip will motivate you to keep the legs moving as provide a boost in fitness over the winter months. To keep it simple there is one base for the week in a stylish hotel located a short walk from Malaga city centre. What follows is six days of riding in and around Malaga. Train on the same roads loved by Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard and get to know other cycle-mad people on the way. It’s got a bit of structure this tour, with guides helping you to reach specific goals during the week and giving tips on how best to take on the regions notorious climbs. For a focus on road cycling and value for money, this holiday takes the yellow jersey. From € 1,899.
Book at tripaneer.com
Ojos Negros Spain’s longest greenway in 6 stages
(Photo: tourradar.com)
Cars and bikes are a bit like Tom and Jerry, they don’t really get on. The Ojos Negros Greenway is not only said to be the longest greenway in Spain, it is also one of the most beautiful anywhere in Europe. It takes in three provinces – Teruel, Castellón and Valencia – and uses a disused railway line to create a car-free cycling path that goes gently downhill through ancient villages and rocky landscape, all without a blasting horn in earshot. There are several options when it comes to length, so this eight-day is the most relaxed, gently pedalling between three- and four-star hotels with around 50km a day. If you’re into enjoying a relaxed ride rather than being the king or queen of Strava, this is a lovely way to spend a week. From €875.
Book at tourradar.com
Mallorca Self-Guided Coast to Coast Ride
Mallorca is another training ground for pro cyclists, with epic, punchy climbs and a year-round good climate. This is not a trip for those with dreams of being in the Tour de France, however. The self-guided tour goes from coast to coast, taking in coastal trails, almond groves, windmills, salt lagoons, beaches, and the foothills of the Tramuntana mountains – the full Mallorca bingo in other words. The hotels are small, boutiquey, family affairs, with proper home cooked meals and the route you are given takes in some lesser-explored areas of the island. That said, for almost two grand without a guide, the price is as steep as the mountains you’ll be passing. From €1,875.
Book at bookmundi.com
Valencia Mediterranean in Two Stages
(Photo: tourradar.com)
Valencia, eastern Spain’s at-times overlooked Mediterranean gem, is worth a visit just for the palm trees, sweeping coastlines and arresting architecture. For cycling it is also underrated, with quiet roads, friendly people, charming villages, and, of course, delicious food. This tour is for those who don’t have much time, featuring two long 100km days in the saddle, but enough olive groves, nature, and unspoiled Mediterranean beaches to make it feel like much more than three days. From €250.
Book at tourradar.com