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Sol & Sierras - NEW |
7 days • Road Cycling • Malaga to Granada (Sierra Nevada)
Fully Guided & Supported • Country Inns & 4 star City hotels
Challenging Cycling
Ride the Highest Road in Europe!
Watch the Vuelta a Andalucia 2010 Pro Race
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For those wanting to ride a spectacular road bike route, and enjoy Andalucia´s sunshine and smooth roads, this tour has it all. An area of outstanding beauty and enough category climbs to warrant many a pro to train around here, it is a great opportunity to warm up the legs and enjoy being on the bike. The cycling here is a mix of mountains and National Park views, taking in tranquil rural areas and some of Spain´s most well known landscape features including the El Chorro Gorge, Sierra de las Nieves (Ronda) and the famous Sierra Nevada (Granada).
Don´t be a curbside spectator as the tarmac of the Poniente Granadino and Granada´s hillside climbs await and we take in some of the best cycling around. Our February tour will visit a stage of the fantastic Vuelta a Andalucia road race ("Ruta del Sol") where we have seen the likes of Lance Armstrong, Tom Boonen, Denis Menchov, Cadel Evans and Greg LeMond compete. For 2010 it has been announced Andy & Frank Schleck of Saxobank, Bradley Wiggins of Team Sky, sprint sensation Mark Cavendish and Spain´s Oscar Freire will ride. Epic climbs, hairpin bends and some of the smoothest roads around (with 300 days of sunshine a year), make it a perfect base to start spinning the pedals and getting the kilometres in for the season ahead or even just to try some Spanish cycling during the year. It is the ideal tour for a week of great road cycling or indeed cycle sportive / challenge ride preparation.
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 This Andalucia cycling holiday will be led a local racing cyclist from Granada who has raced with the best to become the Masters sub champion of Andalucia. Historic atmosphere with wonderful countryside, the Poniente Granadino (the last Moorish Kingdom in Medieval Spain) offers the keener cyclist and enthusiast a chance to shape up and come home to share some spectacular holiday snaps and feel you have had a good workout.
HIGHLIGHTS
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- Inspiring riding in Andalucia´s National Parks
- Cycle Sierra Nevada - the highest road in Europe
- Challenging climbs with panoramic landscapes
- Stunning panoramas and varied ride profiles
- Tranquil white villages and historic Granada
- Andalucian hospitality & local tapas, wine & olives!
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1 |
Malaga to Sierra de las Nieves
60km / 37m |
Meet in the illustrious city centre of Malaga and transfer inland to get some cycling miles under the belt after lunch. We do a loop ride around the Sierra de las Nieves National park area near Ronda which once harboured bandits such as the 9th century Robin Hood, Omar Ibn Hafsun, and is still a wild and rocky place, famous for its breath taking scenery. A romantic area with its picturesque pine and chestnut trees as well as an Unesco Biosphere, the ride is a lovely warm up. Spend the night in a white village, with its Mudejar church, hermitage and small plazas. Enjoy a sunset view of the town above its tiled rooftops. |
2 |
Alhama de Granada
85km / 53m |
After a hearty breakfast, ride towards the famous El Chorro gorge with its vast chasms and twisting roads through fir lined roads. It is a scenic bike ride and the gorge itself a staggering wall of rock that will awe. Continue on the rolling hillsides of the Valley de Abdalajis with its high grazing pastures and rocky outcrops and try climbing the prestigious category 1 ascent of the El Torcal National park, with its delightful windswept rock formations. It is a heady climb with vistas over the mountainous country and cycling through it wondrous. Transfer on to the province of the former Islamic kingdom of Granada. |
3 |
Alhama
87km / 54m |
Starting in the pretty pueblo of Alhama prepare for a classic day of road cycling with an exhilarating loop ride with 2 mountain passes and views to the sea! We go through the lovely Axarquia area, long ago an enclave of Moorish domain and today still having a tranquil micro climate, the air is still fragrant with oranges, lemons and jasmine. Pass through an ancient gap in the coastal ranges that is film set monumental before descending back to Alhama - spend the evening soaking in the famous hot thermal springs of Alhama or enjoy a walk around the medieval historic centre via the town´s gorge. Today´s panoramas fill a trip. |
4 |
Granada
90km / 55m
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We ride a circular ride around a shimmering lake surrounded by rugged and dynamic scenery with several climbs of a category nature and favourites of the Vuelta a España and Andalucian riders. The pretty hidden villages here are a peaceful break and we breeze through their quiet dusty streets arriving back in Alhama, its dynamic setting against the Coastal Sierras. Transfer on to the beautiful city of Granada, the last Moorish jewel in their crown, leaving you the evening to explore the twisting alleyways and try the famous tapas. We stay in a centrally located 4 star hotel with a classic Moorish patio for the night. |
5 |
Granada
100km / 62m
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From regal Granada, we leave the bustle of this busy city to follow a route Cadel Evans was seen training on recently, with its good ascents testing the lungs and legs. Our loop into the Sierra Nevada foothills, takes in some fantastic landscape formed by millions of years, the indigo skies of altitude combined with the ruddy red soil of the area is certainly picturesque.Swoop back down into the streets of the city after this day of cycling to take in some of the medieval sun filled plaza cafes for a well deserved drink. |
6 |
Granada
55km /
35m (option to ride more)
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Heading into the Sierra Nevada, the deep blue sky up here unrivalled for its intensity, with a desolate rocky landscape, interspersed with inspiring views of below, it a cycle ride to remember. We finish by riding the highest road in Europe at 3398 meters! (weather permitting). It is a personal challenge of 5 stars that will test your endurance. Here the mountain peaks of Pico de Veleta are our companions and the landscape around grandiose. Just imagine the descent down....(optional transfer part way up). |
7 |
Granada
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After breakfast in Granada we say Adios to each other and this cycling adventure and take our onward transfers.Transfers provided to Granada points of transit - airport, train or bus stations. |
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| Route |
El Chorro , Alhama de Granada and Granada and includes National Parks of the Sierras de la Nieves, El Torcal, and Sierra Nevada mountains. (Route will be changed for the February tour to view stages of the Vuelta Ciclista Andalucia 2010 ) |
| Accommodation |
City Hotel & Country Inns - all bedrooms are en-suite - 6 nights (3 nights in city Hotel of 4 stars, 1 night in a 3 star, 2 nights in a quality country inn) |
| Food |
All 6 breakfasts and 2 dinners (3 courses with wine/beer)
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| Extras Included |
- Pre tour information
- Tour guide book, maps, cue notes
- Daily snacks and refreshments
- Complimentary Cycling Country Jersey and Waterbottle
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| Bicycles |
You can bring your own road bike (we have facilities to collect and store bike boxes for the duration of the trip) or we can arrange good quality road bike hire (Orbea carbon-alu frame, ultegra-105 groupset, 10 speed with triple or compact) at an additional cost of 95 Euros for the tour |
| Transfers |
From Malaga central on the first day and Granada transit stations on last |
| Activity Level |
Challenging (Daily average of 85 km over hilly terrain). The tour is suitable for experienced cyclists of all ages who have a good level of fitness and enjoy road biking. |
| Terrain |
Quiet country and mountain roads. Hilly countryside with some longer mountain passes at altitude (those in Sierra Nevada dependent on weather) . |
| Staff |
1 leader cycles with the group / drives support van to provide refreshments, acts as guide, offer tips and insights throughout the day, transfer luggage and provide on-road assistance
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| Group Size |
4-10 |
| Dates for 2010 |
20 to 26 Feb (chance to watch the Vuelta a Andalucia - "Route of the Sun")
08 to 14 March
30 June to 05 July
OR Custom Dates - if booking with a group of 6 or more (check for availability)
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| Price |
Eur 995 (Single supplement Eur 125) |
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