Just off the coast lies a beautiful MTB terrain! |
In the spotlight |
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The Costa Blanca is well known as the training area for road cyclists. Ranging from recreational riders to the large ProTour teams, many of them come to places like Calpe, Altea and Benidorm to train. Which is quite logical counting the fact that the Costa Blanca is Spain´s area with the mildest winters and moderate summers. And the route profile ensures you will get your much needed interval training.
The Costa Blanca is less known for its excellent network of MTB tracks. But just off the coast lies a wealth of trails with different levels of difficulty, taking you through areas with little motorised traffic, generally on dirt paths or farm roads. For example: the Jalón valley - which is less than ten kilometres from Moraira - has 260 km tracks. And behind Benitachell - just five kilometres from Moraira centre - lies another 210 km tracks. And these are just the signposted routes! |
If you´re planning a cycling holiday in Spain you may find the website www.cyclingspain.com very helpful. It is a portal website with practical information about the many cycling destinations in Spain including the cycling rental and touring companies.
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Mountain biking at the Costa Blanca increasingly popular
There is a vast local mountain biking community at the Costa Blanca. Local clubs organise annual races and every weekend there are group rides. Now we see that there is growing interest from outisders in mountain biking in this region. For example, the Costa Blanca Bike Race is a four day MTB race around Benidorm and is now listed on the UCI calender. Another example that our region is proving to be more and more a mountain biking hotspot is the visit from the guys of Global Mountain Bike Network. In their video you get a taste of what riding over here is like. Key words GMBN riders used to sum up their visit: "stunning coastline", "sweet", "radical" and "superfun". We could not have said it better!!
What to expect
The terrain on the Costa Blanca is very diverse and so are the styles of riding.
The close area around Moraira (say the triangle from Denia to Calpe on the coast towards Jalón more inland) is especially good for cross country riding. Rides are mostly on natural trails (i.e. not custom made for mountain biking). Each ride involves climbing but climbs are never too long or too steep, although there is the odd rock garden which makes descending fun / exciting. Trails are usually dry or dusty with a hard packed, rocky or gravel base. Anyone with a reasonable fitness will be able to do day rides up to around 50 kilometres which allows for having fun on the bike and at the same time get to know the area in a way you can never parallel by driving a car.
The close area around Moraira (say the triangle from Denia to Calpe on the coast towards Jalón more inland) is especially good for cross country riding. Rides are mostly on natural trails (i.e. not custom made for mountain biking). Each ride involves climbing but climbs are never too long or too steep, although there is the odd rock garden which makes descending fun / exciting. Trails are usually dry or dusty with a hard packed, rocky or gravel base. Anyone with a reasonable fitness will be able to do day rides up to around 50 kilometres which allows for having fun on the bike and at the same time get to know the area in a way you can never parallel by driving a car.
Riders that prefer a more all mountain or even an enduro style of riding will also not be disappointed. Not too far away from Moraira (20 up to max. 45 minutes drive by car) are hills that offer longer climbs and consequently longer downhill single tracks. For example the Sierra de Bernia and Sierra de Carrascal mountain ranges are the perfect terrain for anyone who wants to challenge him- or herself more.
Get in touch if you want to know more. We´d love to share our experiences!
Get in touch if you want to know more. We´d love to share our experiences!
