Calpe — Guadalest & Vall d'Ebo

Coast to the limestone crag

Southwest from Calpe through Altea, the road turns inland at Callosa d'en Sarrià and the mountains grow larger with every quiet kilometre. The climb toward Guadalest is long and gentle: sweeping bends, almond groves, terraced hillsides, the turquoise reservoir appearing below against dry rock. The village itself sits impossibly on its limestone crag — several cafés to choose from after thirty kilometres of climbing, and all of them look good.

Puerto de Confrides follows immediately: roughly 20 km at 3.5%, Category 1 in character if not in drama. The gradient never fully rests and never quite breaks anyone who paces it; the last four kilometres steepen above 7% and catch riders who burned matches on the reservoir approach. Treat it like a long Alpine climb — eat early, hold tempo. Beyond the pass the route threads Benasau, Gorga and Balones — narrow roads, fresh tarmac, almost no traffic, some of the finest interior kilometres on the Costa Blanca. Port de Tollos (about 4 km at 6%) arrives mid-plateau looking harmless and feeling sharper with seventy kilometres already spent; a headwind here turns false flats into work.

One long climb dominates the middle of the day. Patience is the skill Confrides rewards.

Vall d'Ebo and the descent that pays

Vall d'Ebo village sits at the foot of the final rise. Bar La Fuente or Restaurante Foc i Brasa for espresso and bottles, then 3.35 km at 4.9% — Category 3 on paper, distracting views included. The summit opens a panorama; the descent to Pego is the point of the entire loop: hairpin after hairpin above orange groves, Mediterranean on the horizon, concentrated riding on perfect asphalt. Fresh legs matter more for the drop than for the climb.

Through the Jalón valley, Velosol in Xaló is the classic cortado before the final coastal kilometres. October–May is the window; summer on Confrides’ south-facing slopes is a different sport. One hundred thirty-seven kilometres, 2,681 metres — a front-loaded epic designed for maximum enjoyment when paced with humility.