Cycling in Costa Blanca
The roads that made this coast famous
Professional teams have wintered here for decades, and it is not hard to see why. Within twenty minutes of Altea the traffic thins, the road tilts upwards, and you are into a limestone landscape of quiet passes, terraced valleys and almond groves.
300+
Days of sunshine a year on the northern Costa Blanca
1,558 m
Aitana, the highest summit in the province of Alicante
6.5 km
The Coll de Rates climb, at a steady average of around 5%
0 km
Transfer needed — every route here starts from the door in Altea
Why here
Mountains that rise straight out of the sea
Altea sits at the point where the Serra de Bèrnia and the Aitana massif drop almost directly into the Mediterranean. That geography is what gives the riding its character: you can be at sea level on the promenade and, forty minutes later, be grinding up a col with the whole bay laid out below you.
The road surfaces are generally excellent, the climbs are long and rhythmic rather than brutally steep, and outside the coastal strip the traffic is very light. Spanish drivers are, on the whole, patient with cyclists — this is a region that understands the sport.
When to come
A season that runs almost all year
The window that draws the professionals is January through April, but the truth is that only high summer is genuinely difficult. Pack arm warmers and a gilet for the descents in winter, and start early in July and August.
Oct – Dec
16 – 22 °C
Warm sea, empty roads and soft light. The occasional heavy autumn downpour, gone by morning.
Jan – Feb
13 – 18 °C
Peak training season. Cool starts, bright days, almond blossom in the valleys by mid-February.
Mar – May
18 – 25 °C
Arguably the best of the year. Long days, green hillsides and near-perfect riding temperatures.
Jun – Sep
26 – 33 °C
Hot. Ride at first light, carry more water than you think, and enjoy the sea afterwards.
The Guadalest reservoir from the road above Benimantell — the turning point on the shortest of the six routes below, and the reason most riders stop for a photograph on their first day here.
Route suggestions
Six rides, from an easy 50 km to a full 127 km day
Every one starts and finishes in Altea, so there is no driving and no transfer. Each map below is a real routed line along real roads, and the distance, climbing and elevation profile are calculated from it. Download the GPX straight to your computer or phone — no email address required.
The Algar Valley & Guadalest
- Distance 49.7 km
- Climbing 957 m
- Highest point 682 m
- Time 2 – 3 h
Out through Polop and Callosa d'en Sarrià into the Algar valley, then the long steady drag up to the Guadalest reservoir and the castle village perched above it. Carry on to Benimantell before turning for home over Polop. The gentlest introduction to the area — and still nearly a thousand metres of climbing.
- Easy to moderate
- Reservoir views
- Café at Guadalest
Calp, Benissa & the Moraira headland
- Distance 64.4 km
- Climbing 1,152 m
- Highest point 266 m
- Time 3 – 4 h
North along the coast beneath the Peñón de Ifach at Calp, inland to Benissa, then out to the headland above Moraira before returning down the coast road. There is no single big climb here — just a constant series of short, sharp ramps that quietly add up to more than eleven hundred metres.
- Moderate
- Coastal
- Peñón de Ifach
- Punchy ramps
Coll de Rates — the classic
- Distance 74.2 km
- Climbing 1,428 m
- Highest point 630 m
- Time 3½ – 4½ h
The one everybody comes for, ridden in the right direction. Out along the coast to Calp and Benissa, up the Jalón valley through Xaló to Parcent, and then the Coll de Rates itself — beautifully surfaced, evenly graded, and rhythmic enough to ride at threshold from bottom to top, which is exactly why professional teams use it as a winter benchmark. Descend to Tàrbena and roll home through Callosa.
- Moderate
- Pro training climb
- Climbed from Parcent
- Summit restaurant
Cap de la Nau & the Xàbia headlands
- Distance 97.4 km
- Climbing 1,498 m
- Highest point 266 m
- Time 4½ – 5½ h
The full northern coastline — Calp, Moraira, Xàbia and out to the lighthouse at Cap de la Nau, the most easterly point of the region. Nothing here climbs above 270 metres, yet the ride still racks up fifteen hundred: it is relentlessly undulating rather than mountainous, with the Mediterranean a long way below for most of it. Returns inland through Benissa.
- Moderate to hard
- Coastal
- Cap de la Nau lighthouse
- Never flat
Vall d'Ebo & Coll de Rates
- Distance 120.7 km
- Climbing 2,207 m
- Highest point 630 m
- Time 5½ – 6½ h
Deep into the interior. Along the coast to Calp, then up through Benissa and Xaló to Parcent and west past Castell de Castells, over the Alt de Tarrenyes and down into the Vall d'Ebo, where the road twists through bare limestone with almost no traffic at all. Over the Vall d'Ebo pass to Pego, back through Orba and over El Portet to Parcent, and home the classic way: up the Coll de Rates and the long descent through Tàrbena and Callosa. Carry food and fill your bottles when you can — the villages are small and the gaps between them are long.
- Hard
- Remote
- Gorge roads
- Carry supplies
Aitana, Confrides & Port de Tudons
- Distance 126.6 km
- Climbing 2,280 m
- Highest point 1,026 m
- Time 6 – 7 h
The big one. West to Sella and over the Port de Tudons to Alcoleja, on to Alcoi, then back east through Benasau and Confrides into the Aitana massif — the highest road riding in the province, topping out just above a thousand metres. Home down the Guadalest valley through Callosa. Save it for a settled day, start early, and take a gilet for the descents.
- Very hard
- High mountain
- Port de Tudons
- Exposed
Each route is generated by a cycling router along real roads, and the distance, ascent and elevation profile are measured from that line. Treat them as planning guides rather than turn-by-turn navigation: road conditions, closures and café opening times change with the season. Ask us before you set out and we will tell you what we know from riding them this week. Maps © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Bring nothing but shoes
A bike that is ready for these roads
Rent from us and we will set the gearing up for the climbs you plan to ride, talk you through the GPX files above, and tell you exactly where the water fountains are.