Calpe & Costa Blanca

Calpe exists at the intersection of flat coastal training roads and serious mountain climbing, which is why half the professional peloton has spent at least one January here. The town itself is unremarkable — a medium-density Spanish resort with a distinctive rock (the Peñón de Ifach) jutting out of the harbour. The riding is not unremarkable at all. The signature climb is the Coll de Rates: 6.5km at 5.4% average, topping out at 626m with views across the entire Marina Alta. The Vuelta a España uses it regularly. Every training camp based in Calpe uses it obsessively. The approach from Parcent through the Jalon Valley wine country is one of the better warm-up roads in European cycling — wide, smooth, gently rising, and quiet enough that you can ride three abreast without incident. Inland from the coast, the terrain stacks up fast. The Sierra de Bernia loop — short, aggressive, with gradients touching 15% — is the kind of ride that looks reasonable on paper and less reasonable at kilometre four. Guadalest, further in, adds a reservoir, a castle on a cliff, and a proper 20km approach climb. The Alcalali loop through Castell de Castells is the century ride: 160km, 2,000m of climbing, and roads that empty of traffic the moment you leave the N332 corridor. The coastal road itself serves a purpose. The stretch between Calpe and Benidorm via Altea is flat, fast, and mostly has a cycle lane — ideal for tempo work, interval sessions, or easy recovery spins. The morning group rides that leave from the Calpe harbour wall at 9am sharp are a rite of passage for visiting riders. Climate: riding is possible year-round, but the sweet spot is October through April when temperatures sit between 15-22°C and rain is sparse. Summer is rideable but hot — start before 7am or don't start.