Encamp sits on Andorra's main valley road, but its real cycling identity lies in the climb that starts at its edge: Els Cortals d'Encamp, a first-category ascent of around nine kilometres that has decided Vuelta a España stages on its own terms.
Mikel Landa won the first summit finish here in 2015 with a long-range solo attack; in 2019, the climb closed a brutal stage that also crossed the Coll d'Ordino and Coll de la Gallina, five categorised climbs inside 100 kilometres.
The road out of Encamp starts through a stone-built housing estate before narrowing sharply, switchbacking through open mountainside past a ski station and, oddly, a giant ant statue near the top. Nearby, the Collada de Beixalís offers a second, equally demanding option from the same town, also used repeatedly by the Vuelta in recent editions.
For a base, Encamp puts riders within reach of most of Andorra's serious climbing — a country smaller than most cycling regions but with a first-category pass around almost every corner.
