If you could bottle the perfect spring cycling escape, it might look a lot like our recent club tour to Calpe.
With a week of warm sun, smooth roads, and legendary climbs on the menu, eight of us made the pilgrimage to Spain’s Costa Blanca for some early-season miles and smiles.
The lineup? A sociable crew: Paget, Bob, Peter, Gina, Graham, Trevor, Karl, and Neil (yours truly). Between us, a healthy mix of climbing legs, sprinting legs and café legs. Over several rides, we put them all to good use.
Day 1: Getting Started with Inland Climbs
We kicked things off with a cracking 85km loop.
There’s no easy way out of Calpe, it’s a case of choosing your own punishment, and today, we selected the 5% La Fustera route toward Benissa before easing our way into the valley on the other side.
The scenic roads around Parcent and Alcalalí served up gentle gradients and quiet tarmac before we pitched upwards again on the lanes towards Murla and Fleix with glorious views and an even more glorious descent back down to Orba.
Spirits were high, the sun was out, and any concerns about fitness quickly gave way to debates about lunch options, which turned out to be a fine tapas selection in Benigembla.
Day 2: Coastal Cruising
The start of Day 2 took us back up La Fustera, but this time we headed coastwards towards Denia.
A rolling route through poppy-edged fields with the sea sparkling in the distance took us firstly to the busier town of Teulada before depositing us in Xabia where the road pitches sharply upwards for the Montgo climb. Garmins squealed 21% in one short section, but generally, it was around 6% overall and manageable in a mind-over-matter kind of way.
Efforts were rewarded with the swoop down the other side into Denia and the yacht-filled harbour. Our target lunch stop was closed (which proved to be a recurring theme), but a very satisfactory alternative was quickly found, and batteries were recharged with bocadillos and tortillas. From Denia, we looped back inland to Orba, Alcalalí and Xalon (must be time for coffee) before the ultra-rapid, can’t-stop-smiling descent back into Calpe.
Day 3: The Col de Rates Calls
No trip to Calpe is complete without a tilt at the Col de Rates, and Day 3 delivered in style.
This iconic 6.5km, 5% climb from Parcent might not be the steepest, but its steady gradient and hairpin views make it a must-do. Everyone found their own rhythm before regrouping at the summit for photos and a well-earned breather.
The restaurant at the top of Rates was closed (of course), which meant pushing on up again to Tárbena, unexpectedly passing a collection of golden statues on the way – possibly a Gaudi-inspired gnome garden, possibly a Hindu shrine – and up again over the roller-coaster ramps to Sa Crueta with its 12% gradient to finish.
We then descended back down to Castells – a fast, swooping thrill-ride that had grins all round (apart from yours truly, whose face was frozen into a grimace from top to bottom).
Trevor had ridden on ahead and scouted out a perfect spot for lunch in Castells, which was followed immediately by a threshold-pulling thrash back to Xalon. Not a great idea on a full stomach, but amazing fun. Time there for a quick coffee and then home.
This was the high point of the week in every sense, with mountain views, twisty climbs and remote roads that felt a world away from the tourist hotspots on the coast. 100km and 1,600m of climbing ticked off – a proper day out.
Day 4: Kings, Queens and Castles
Today, we took the main road out of Calpe towards Altea and then turned our wheels towards Callosa and the climb to Guadalest.
The castle perched on top of the mountain, and the pretty town beneath it, makes Guadalest a magnet for the tourist coaches, but we were untroubled by coaches or cars as we made our way steadily up the 10km climb, through the pine trees and trickling streams of the Guadalest valley, to the town at the top.
Coffee and cake overlooking the small square was followed by a return to base at a much quicker, gravity-assisted lick. A split in the peloton emerged as Paget and Neil pushed on to Moraira for a late lunch, while others took the opportunity to rest tired limbs in Calpe.
90km and another 1300m of climbing was safely deposited in the training bank.
Day 5: Recovery, Spanish Style
After four solid days, we dialled it back (slightly) for a more relaxed route via Alcalali, Pedreguer and the delightfully named Gata de Gorgos, to shake out the legs.
There was no avoiding a few rollers to keep us honest – just a 1,000m this time – but lunch and café stops were the priority on our 75km loop.
The Spanish pastries did not disappoint. It wasn’t exactly a rest day – but it was definitely a “legs-saving” one.
Day 6: Back into the Mountains
Recharged and refuelled, we planned the queen stage on Day 6 – an epic route looping towards Pego and up and over the Vall d’Ebo.
For once, the weather wasn’t in our favour, and the low cloud and persistent drizzle made visibility poor and the roads greasy. Discretion proved the better part of valour, and a quick rerouting over coffee in Pego gave us an invitingly flat route out and along the coast to Denia.
Not wanting to waste the energy we’d stored for Vall d’Ebo, we gave it a full-on, pace-line effort for pretty much the full distance, arriving for lunch in Denia in record time.
After lunch, and still with energy to burn, we pushed hard up and out of Denia, descended into Xabia and then followed the now familiar rolling road back into Calpe via Moraira.
The day was a test for the legs and lungs – another 100km with over 1,100m of ascent – but everyone kept together. Special shout-out to Bob for leading us out of Moraira like a young domestique!
Day 7: A Farewell Spin
Our final ride was shorter, but no less sweet – an early morning spin out to Moraira for a breakfast of eggs and Iberico ham accompanied by freshly squeezed orange juice and coffee, all while overlooking the blue Mediterranean in full sunshine. Life on a training camp is tough. We rolled back into Calpe, sad, but satisfied and ready to pack for the journey home.
Until the next time…
Calpe truly earns its reputation as a cyclist’s paradise – challenging but rewarding routes, courteous drivers, reliable weather, the scent of orange blossom, and scenery that makes any suffering worthwhile. We covered over 500km and climbed more than 6,000m during the week – stats to be proud of so early in the year.
As ever, though, the riding was only half the story. Off the bike, we made the most of Calpe’s hospitality – beers on the terrace of our adopted bar, evening meals packed with carbs and conversation, and more than a few Strava stats swapped (and possibly exaggerated).
Here’s to the next one. Join us if you can.