Benidorm's skyline of towers gives way almost immediately to the Puig Campana massif, the jagged peak that dominates the view inland and marks the start of some of the Costa Blanca's hardest climbing.
From the edge of town, the road to the Alto de Aitana military base climbs roughly twenty kilometres to over a thousand metres — a climb that has hosted four Vuelta a España summit finishes, including the 2016 stage where Nairo Quintana attacked Chris Froome repeatedly on the way to that year's overall win. Nearby La Nucía and Finestrat sit on the approach roads to Sella and the inland villages toward Alicante, while Benidorm itself hosts a round of the Cyclocross World Cup each January, drawing professional teams already in the region for winter training.
Between the beach towers and the mountains, Benidorm works as an unglamorous but well-placed base for riders chasing the same climbs the WorldTour peloton rides every winter.
