Tag: Denia

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Six

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Six

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Pego Loop via Puerto de La Vall d’Ebo & Puerto de Tollos

The last day of my Denia cycling adventure has arrived already & today we embarked on a loop on some of the most remote roads in the area. We began with another commute to Pego & parked just outside town on an industrial estate. Under slate grey skies, we began the climb up to the Puerto de la Vall d’Ebo, perhaps the most scenic climb in the region.

The lower slopes rose through a forested section, & during this section a group of Brits quickly cruised onto my wheel, said a cheery ‘Good morning’ & pedalled off into the distance. A timely reminder of my place in the pecking order on the climbs!! About halfway up the 6 mile climb, the view opened up & we could make out the road below as it snaked its way up the mountain, with the Mediterranean providing the perfect backdrop.

58 minutes after setting off we were at the summit of Puerto de la Vall d’Ebo, some 1,800 feet above out start point. We stopped for a selfie, then descended into the village of Vall d’Ebo, where we took a left onto a tiny track that immediately started climbing again.

The lower slopes were both steep & barren, but soon the gradient eased off & we entered a lush, green, ‘hidden’ valley.

We descended to the larger CV-720 for the gentle climb into Castell de Castells where we stopped for a café con leche & a slice of manzana brazo gitano (think of an apple filled Swiss Roll).

We stayed on the CV-720 & continued climbing through the trees until we reached the summit of the climb at the small village of Fageca. The views across the valley were stunning – in the far distance we could make out Planes, which we had visited earlier in the week.

Our next climb was short but brutal, as the gradient pitched up to 16% again on the way to the Puerto de Tollos. We were in an area of forest that had been affected by fire – I’m not sure if the charred trees were the result of natural fires or controlled burning.

As we bounced along a ridgeline, we spotted a natural arch in the far distance, something that instantly transported me back in time to 2009, & a previous cycling adventure in Moab, Utah that included a side trip to Arches National Park.

We hadn’t seen a car for more than 45 minutes as we continued to follow the natural contours of the surrounding landscape – we built up enough speed on the sweeping descents that we could get halfway up the next drag without needing to pedal.

Cova del Rull provided 1 last opportunity to capture the majesty of the surrounding mountains before we swooped back into Vall d’Ebo to complete the ‘loop’ element of the ride. Ahead of us was the short side of the climb back up to Puerto de La Vall d’Ebo.

The views on the descent of Vall d’Ebo were completely different now the sun was out & backdrop was a blue sky, rather than grey clouds of earlier in the morning.

Even the Mediterranean looked a different colour. We stopped to stage 1 final action shot, before heading back to the car in Pego.

Today’s ride felt like the perfect way to end our adventure, as we explored remote backroads, experience rugged scenery & enjoy a local delicacy. I had to delay writing Friday’s update, as we had to take the bikes apart & pack last night, due to having an early start this morning.

Denia was a great base, with lots of bars & restaurants within a 15 minute walk of our hotel. The Hotel Nou Roma was perfect for our needs, with car parking on-site, delicious breakfast options & peaceful rooms. At some point in the future I feel sure I’ll return to explore more of the region. In the meantime, I’m already beginning to think about my next cycling adventure!

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Five

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Five

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Planes & Lorcha Loop

Today’s adventure began with a 30-minute commute in the car to the small town of Pego. We were riding by just after 9.30am & headed up a wide valley road CV-700) that gradually narrowed for the first 3 or 4 miles. As we passed through Benirrama the valley widened, with bare rock faces visible high above us.

We briefly left the main road & joined a narrow track that took us ever higher into the mountains & offered up brief view of Benissile. This was perhaps the most remote landscape of our adventures to date.

After 1 hour 45 minutes of climbing, we finally reached our first summit of the day – we had climbed 2,000 feet in 16 miles. Now it was time to enjoy the descent as we looked across to Planes, where would retrace our tyre tracks from Monday’s ride.

There was a short descent where in the space of ½ mile I went from a standing start (I wanted to get a photo of Sean with the mountains in the background) to 46 mph. The road was almost ruler straight except for an ‘S’ bend at the bottom which could be straightened out of there was no traffic coming the other way.

There were a couple of places where cars & camper vans could access the reservoir (the white blob in the middle photo below is a camper van parked on the beach) with huge views to the mountains in the far distance.

After skirting the reservoir & crossing the barrage, we picked up the main road into Beniarres where we topped up our water bottles & enjoyed our 2nd descent of the day into Lorcha, which had an ancient castle perched on a rocky outcrop high above us. As we hit the valley floor we knew we were in for a long climb up the valley wall.

The climb was just over 6 miles in length & the gradient hit 17% at its steepest. There was a ½ mile section where the gradient didn’t drop below 14% (I was doing less than 4mph) – that’s hard going on day 5 of a cycling trip! The views in all directions were stunning, but I only managed to get 1 photo, which was of Sean as he battled his way up a steep ramp.

We ascended 1,500 feet in a little under an hour, but that doesn’t really tell the whole story, or give the context. The climb split into a spiteful opening 2 miles, followed by a gentle 3.5-mile stretch, then a brutal final last ½ mile. This was the 1st climb that had an Alpine & Pyrenean feel to it.

The view from the summit made the climb worth every pedal revolution. We could see the Mediterranean in the far distance & we also quickly realised how much descending we would be enjoying.

The descent was switchback heaven with views across the coastal plains all the way across to Oliva, some 10 miles in the distance.

We were at sea-level in next to no time & all that remained was to battle a cross-headwind back into Pego.

On the drive back to the hotel I picked up my bike which had been repaired & also dropped off my rental bike. It was my 1st time riding a Scott Addict & it did me proud. A big thank you to Cycles Desnivell for sorting out my rental bike at no notice.

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Four

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Four

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Benissa & Pego Loop

We made an earlier start to today’s adventure, although it began with me having a flat rear tyre on my rental bike. Luckily, it appeared to be a very slow loss of pressure overnight & it retained air when I pumped it up. Despite this slight delay, we were on our way by 9.15, which enabled us to ride in slightly cooler conditions during the early part of the ride.

There was also some localised cloud which made for dramatic views, as well as keeping the temperature in the high 20’s for the first hour or so, rather then the low 30’s. Leaving Denia, we headed towards La Xara & on towards Xabia. Those 10 miles flew by, as we had a tailwind & we only had to climb 1 small hill, although we could see our later challenges waiting for us in the distance.

As we turned towards Benitachell the road started climbing & would rise in ramps for the next 15 miles. The views across to the Mediterranean were stunning & although there were plenty of small descents in amongst the climbing, the gradient was always comfortable.

Just past the town of Teulada we took a right & picked up a small lane that took us to Benissa, where it was time for Elevenses of cheesecake with strawberry compote & a café con leche. The climb up to the coffee shop was a 14.5% gradient, so it was well deserved!

I stopped in Senija to get a photo of a mural of a cyclist that had been painted onto the house & wall in front of it. It looks like I didn’t quite line up the perspective right, but it looked great as we rode past it. Senija also marked our first proper bit of descending on today’s adventure, as we snaked our way to the valley floor below.

As we reached the town of Alcalali the road started rising again & we saw lots of cyclists going the opposite was to us – we had a small tailwind, but the had gravity propelling them!

We were back amongst the lime groves & we gradually climbed up to Parcent & Benigembla. We visited both towns on Sunday’s ride, but today we arrived from a different direction, so it all felt new.

At Benigembla we turned right & enjoyed a fast, flowing descent through the villages of Murla, Orba & Tormos, before we arrived at the day’s final climb of note – it was 1.5 miles long & we passed through a narrow gorge to reach the summit.

We were then rewarded with big views across to the Mediterranean beyond the town of Oliva.We continued descending into Pego & then took a 90 degree turn into a howling headwind.

I sat on the front for 13 miles as we headed back towards Denia on flat roads that cut through the Parc Natural de le Marjal Pego-Oliva where we occasionally received some shelter from the surrounding trees & vegetation.

I’m looking forward to exploring some more of the eating establishments this evening, so I can replace some of the calories I’ve been burning. Who knows, I might even enjoy a cheeky beer too!!

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Three

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Three

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Oliva Loop via Puerto de Sorell

You may remember I mentioned that I had gearing issues yesterday. Once I got back to the hotel it was clear the cable was frayed & very close to snapping, so my immediate priority today was to get the cable replaced. This became more complicated than I hoped, as my preferred bike repair shop (5* rated for workmanship) won’t be able to fit a new cable until Wednesday afternoon. Although they hire bikes, they are all currently rented out.

I’m a project manager, so solving problems is my day job – I left the bike to be repaired & set off to find a rental bike – luckily, I found 1 in my size that was available for the next 3 days. It cost an additional €4 to increase the booking from 2 days to 3, so I now have some contingency if my bike repair is delayed.

By 11am I’d got the bike fitted with a saddle bag, pedals & Wahoo mount. We’d chatted last night & agreed that we should both do our own thing today, so Sean had set off at about 9am to do a gentle 40-mile ride along the coast.

I set off towards La Xara on deserted lanes that offered occasional views of the mountains in the distance, then carried on to outskirts of Pedreguer, where I picked up a small service road that ran next to the Autopista de la Mediterrania for a couple of miles. Huge reeds separated me from the traffic on the motorway – it felt as if I was in the middle of nowhere.

I was edging ever closer to the mountains but was happy in the knowledge that I wasn’t going to be tackling any big climbs today. I stopped briefly to capture a photo of the Scott Addict which will be my ride for the next 3 days. It has a bit of bling in the paintjob & it rides well – any issues are due to the rider’s limitations! I had a tailwind during this section & I flew along without needed to expend much energy. I had a small degree of sympathy for the peloton of riders that were battling the headwind as they headed towards me!

The only climb of any note today was to the Puerto de Sorell, a 500-foot ascent in a little over 2 miles, so nothing compared to some of yesterday’s beasts.

The view from the summit was glorious, with the Mediterranean Sea glistening in the far distance. The descent was over in the blink of an eye & I was back on flat lanes that headed towards the town of Oliva.

This was the turnaround point of my ride, which meant I turned into a headwind for the next 20 miles.

The reward was that I was cycling through the Parc Natural de la Marjal de Pego-Olive, which is an area where the natural wetland has been preserved.

The last 10 miles were on a slightly larger road that was slightly set back from the coast. This was by far the most populated part of today’s ride & while there wasn’t anything of note worth photographing, it was pleasant enough (except for the nagging headwind!).

Sean & I met up this afternoon over a café con leche & delicious slice of chocolate & caramel cake to chat about our different days.

After a very slow start to the day for me, I ended up getting out on a bike to explore a bit more of Denia’s beautiful countryside.

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Two

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Two

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Beniarres Loop Including Mont Benicadell

Today’s adventure began with a 55-mile commute by car to the town of Ontinyent, a small town nestled in on the valley floor but surrounded by large hills & mountains. Our planned ride was 54 miles in length with 4,700 feet of climbing, so we would be either climbing or descending for most of the day.

Within 2 miles of leaving Ontinyent, we passed Pou Clar swimming lake in a small canyon & this marked the start of our first ascent of the day. The gradient was a gentle 3% to 5% as we climbed the river valley via the CV-81 for about 4 miles. As we reached the summit, we took a left onto the CV-700 & followed the valley floor for about 5 miles as we passed through the towns of Alfafara & Agres.

The road descended for the next 7 miles as we headed towards Benamer. This was a temporary reprieve as the next 6 miles were mainly uphill with no protection from the sun, with temperatures reaching 35 degrees centigrade. Much of the route was on remote roads, which meant we didn’t have a coffee stop & we were permanently on the lookout for public water fountains to keep our bidons topped up.

As we reached Planes we took a left & skirted the edge of Barranc d’Almundaina y Planes reservoir. There were a few steep climbs & descents (I hit 46 mph on 1 of the descents & less than 4.6 mph on the climbs!). After we crossed the dam, we had a choice of following a main road to Beniarres or taking the road less travelled via some small single-track lanes.

The summit of Mont Benicadell would mark the boundary between Provincia d’Alicant & Provincia de Valenciana, but first we had to conquer the 5-mile, 900-foot climb – today we had the added challenge of climbing into a headwind! The views back to the reservoir made the effort worthwhile.

The 3-mile descent into Salem offered huge views down to the valley floor below. By now we were 3 hours into the ride & had only covered 34 miles – the constant up & down nature of the route also started to play havoc with my feet, as I began to experience numbness / pins & needles from the pressure I was putting on the pedals. This has happened before, so I knew that my best way of managing the pain was to stop for 5 minutes & take the weight off my feet.

In addition to my sore feet, the gears on my bike were jumping, which was causing me a few gear selection issues on the uphill sections – as the ride progressed, the issues increased. Luckily the final 20 miles were a bit flatter, as we wound our way through orange & lemon groves which had been planted in terraces.

My first job in the morning will be to find a bike repair shop that can fix my gear cable issues & potentially get a hire bike sorted out. I’ve seen a few options already, so hopefully it won’t interrupt my cycling plans.