On Your Bike

Lined with cork trees and replete with endless curves, Port d'Eslida is a very popular climb with Valencian cyclists that offers spectacular views over the surrounding countryside.

Located in the south of the province of Castellón and some 60 km to the north of the city of Valencia, the 6 km climb of Port d'Eslida is a relatively easy climb that acts as a gateway to the beautiful Serra d'Espadà Natural Park, with its medieval heritage, sandstone mountains and dense cork forests.

Spain has over 2,800 kilometres of disused railways that have been converted into traffic-free "greenways" for use by cyclists, walkers, horse-riders, etc.

The ever-expanding nationwide network currently includes 11 former rail routes within the Valencian Community.

FEATURE

La Carrasqueta is 12 kilometre climb lying just inland from the city of Alicante

The spectacular climb takes us up to a natural balcony at @1020 m.a.s.l. overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and the city of Alicante, some 40 kilometres away.

Passing over the Serra Grossa range and linking the comarcas of Vall d'Albaida and la Costera, el Puerto del Portitxol is a relatively easy, regular climb that is popular with local cyclists and which can be slotted into numerous hilly routes in the lesser-known southwest corner of the province of Valencia/northwest corner of the province of Alicante.

For the 2019 edition of La Vuelta a España, the organizers of the Spanish national tour have pulled a real rabbit out of the hat in the form of the previously-unused climb of el Alto de Javalambre - or el Picón del Buitre, as it is more commonly known -, atop of which sits the spectacular Javalambre Astrophysical Observatory.

We know that we are by no means the first to say it, but it nevertheless remains true: while it may not be the hardest, nor the steepest, climb in Alicante, the north side of Coll de Rates is most surely the best-known and most-popular climb in the province, attracting cyclists from all over the world throughout the entire year.

The River Júcar, or Xúquer in Valencian, runs for approximately 500 km from its source at Ojuelos de Valdeminguete, on the eastern flank of the Montes Universales, Cuenca, close the sources of the rivers Tajo, Cuervo, Turia and Cabriel (the latter serving as its most important tributary) to the Mediterranean Sea.

Located in the northernmost extreme of the province of Alicante and overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, Vall de Ebo (Vall d'Ebo in Valencian) is one of the Region's most popular climbs among amateur and professional cyclists alike. 

CLIMBS IN ALICANTE

Amid the numerous topics and issues dealt with on a regular basis in the specialist cycling media - bicycle paths, carbon components, electronic shifting, urban transport, disc brakes, health and fitness benefits, women's racing, bike-sharing, gravel riding, smart trainers, folding bikes, etc., etc., etc. -, there's a curiously ambigious place reserved for the "e-bike", seemingly situated at an equidistant point between unbridled praise, general indifference and outright rejection.

El Puerto de Barx is a popular climb among Valencian cyclists, due to its proximity both to the La Safor coast and to the mountains of the Sierra Grossa range. At around 5 kilometres in length, it's not a long climb, and it's not too hard, either, enabling cyclists to take in the magnificent views towards the coast as they tackle its numerous hairpins.

Alicante-based Belgian Seb Nolens, or #TCRNo6cap54 as he's known to his nearest and dearest, will join @300 other participants to take on the challenge of the Transcontinental Race Nº6 at the end of July: @4000 km of distance and @40,000 metres of vertical climbing between Belgium and Greece, a full-on, two-week grinder up mountain passes, through distant valleys, often in sweltering heat and along gravel roads and asphalt. Lots and lots of asphalt. We talk to him to find out what lies behind his decision to put himself through such an extreme test.

September 15th sees the 4th edition of the "Dones Bicibles" Gran Fondo, organized by and for female cyclists with the support of the Valencia Region Cycling Federation and the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation.

The route, which starts and finishes in the town of Bocairent and covers some 100 kilometres through the south of the province of Valencia and the north of the province of Alicante, will see the participants face around 1700 metres of vertical climbing.

Registration, which is limited to 200 cyclists, is open until September 9th Cycling Club.

Further information available via the Dones Bicibles website and Facebook page:

Dones Bicibles website
Dones Bicibles Facebook page
Dones Bicibles Twitter

Bocairent Tourist Info
Valencia Region Cycling Federation
Royal Spanish Cycling Federation
 
Dones Bicibles is a cycling club sponsored by the Valencia Regional Cycling Federation and dedicated to the promotion of cycling for women.

The Road Engineering Research Group (GIIC) of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, (UPV) is currently developing the research projects "Bike2Lane - Improvement of the safety and operation of conventional roads with cyclists", subsidized by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (TRA 2016 -8089-R), and "Safe4Bikes - Measures to improve road safety on conventional roads with bicycles riding in groups", subsidized by the Directorate General of Traffic (SPIP2017-02280).

The purpose of both projects is to analyze the effects caused by the presence of cyclists on conventional roads (both individually and in groups) in terms of traffic and, above all, road safety.

In order to carry out both projects, it is essential that the researchers involved are aware of the perception both of drivers and of cyclists about the roads they mutually share.

Therefore, the GIIC would like to invite those interested in assisting the two projects to complete a survey (one for drivers and one for cyclists). Both surveys are anonymous, and the information provided will be used solely and exclusively for the purposes of the reserach projects in question.

More information about the projects and links to the surveys here (in Spanish):

Polytechnic University of Valencia Road Engineering Research Group Surveys

The Vall d'Albaida Cycling Tourism Route, "Roda la Vall", is a recent initiative from La Mancomunidad de la Vall d'Albaida which, after consultation with those involved in the local tourism sector, took the admirable decision to employ bicycle touring and cycling as a means to promote this relatively unknown area of Valencia.

15th edition of the Iberian Congress "The Bicycle and the City" to be held between May 16 and 20, 2018 in the city of Valencia

The Iberian Congress "The Bicycle and the City", the oldest bicycle-related congress of its kind to be organised in Spain, is a joint initiative between "ConBici" and the Portuguese "Federação de Cicloturismo e Utilizadores de Bicicleta". The first edition of the congress was staged in 1996, while the latest was held in the Spanish city of Zaragoza.

The 15th edition of the Iberian Congress "The Bicycle and the City" is being organized by the collectives València en Bici-Acció Ecologista Agró and Bici es Vida and will be held between May 16 and 20, 2018 in the city of Valencia.

Events

Its aim is to present the most significant developments and experiences related to the bicycle as a method of transport in Spain and Portugal, and is to include a series of events centred on the design of bike lanes, school paths, cycle routes, regulations, inter-modality, public bikes and new types of urban bikes, among others.

In the words of the Congress' website:

"The creation of a friendly, quieter city, with more green spaces and social usage and with fewer cars, requires the involvement of the city’s residents in the transformation of the urban environment. In this sense, the 15th edition of the Iberian Congress "The Bicycle and the City" aims to become a key element of this collective reflection. That is why the axes on which the congress is based are designed in a way to facilitate a holistic approach the urban complexity in which we find ourselves on a daily basis and into which the bicycle has been inserted. We believe that understanding the dynamic relationship between citizenship, urban planning and different modes of transport is the best way to achieve this goal, hence the Congress’ talks, speeches and workshops seek to strengthen the city’s citizen/organizational/professional/political network."

Parallel activities

The 15th Iberian Congress "The Bicycle and the City" will include the celebration of the 3rd Female Cyclists Meeting and the 2nd Bicifest Valencia Festival.

Further information

For further information about the Congress, its events and activities, consult the València Ciutat Amable website: Iberian Congress "The Bicycle and the City" website

 

Legal and Safety 

As is the case in many countries, there are often quite a lot of grey areas in our knowledge about what is and what is not legally-permissible when cycling on public roads in Spain, which can lead to a degree of uncertainty about what we can and cannot do when we are out riding our bikes. 

In our "Legal and Safety" articles, we'd like to help shed some light on what, to the best of our knowledge, are our legal rights and obligations when out and about on our bikes in Spain. 

We hope our artciles will be of use to you. However, we are not lawyers, nor do we offer professional legal advice, so please don't take our word for it and, as always, we recommend you consult a responsible adult before taking any action in relation to doing anything whatsoever. Just in case. 

So, having said that..... 

What is the maximum speed limit for bicycles on Spanish roads?

This question was brought to light recently in the wake of an incident that occurred near the Valencian village Barx, which sits on a plain at the top of a long, fast descent down towards the coastal city of Gandia. It's a beautiful mountain road, by the way, and well worth a visit. Barx can be reached either by climbing from Gandia in the east, or from the village of Simat de la Valldigna in the north.

On April 14, a cyclist was fined 100 euros by members of a Civil Guard traffic patrol after being caught by radar travelling downhill at 77 km/h on a stretch with a 60 km/h limit, and the response - suprisingly outraged in nature from some quarters - was not long in coming. Amid the toing, froing, cursing and headscratching from members of the cycling community about the "fairness" of the penalty, the question about just how fast cyclists are allowed to travel on Spanish roads remained.

It's a pertinent question and one to which the answer, as is so often the case in these matters, is "it depends......".

Let's take it by parts.

Firstly, we have the maximum speed limits for bicycles on the road as applicable within cities, villages and other built-up areas. Given Spain's highly decentralized political system, the country has a multi-tiered approach to the creation of regulations and legislation, and in such cases the speed limits will be established by the local/municipal authority and indicated by means of traffic signs for each specific urban area.

As every municipality has the capacity to establish its own limits, we can only recommend observing the speeds indicated on the applicable street signs. These are usually going to be around the 30 km/h limit in built-up/residential area although, we repeat, we would do well to pay attention to individual, specific indications.

Secondly, there is the question of the maximum speed limit for bicycles on interurban roads, that is, roads outside and between built-up areas.

According to a recent tweet by the Dirección General de Tráfico (Spanish  Traffic Authority), it would appear that the official maximum speed limit for bicycles on Spanish roads is 45 km/h:

@DGTes "Generic speed limits in Spain"

We can see the speed limit as applicable to bicycles in the right-hand column of following chart:

45 km/h, for all roads - that would seem to make things quite clear, although again, we would be wise to bear in mind the existence of specific municipal regulations.

Furthermore, this seems to be borne out by Article 48 of the Spanish General Traffic Regulation (Regulación General de Circulación), which states:

Article 48.- Maximum speeds on interurban roads.

1. The maximum speeds which must not be exceeded, except in those cases detailed in Article 51, are as follows:
e) For bicycles, two- and three-wheel mopeds and light quadracycles: 45 kilometres per hour.

However, Article 48 1 e) immediately proceeds to mention an exception to this limit:

Nevertheless, cyclists may exceed the mentioned maximum limit on such stretches where the traffic/road circumstances allow for higher speeds.

This would seem to be a definition open to varying interpretations, and hence a possible cause of conflict. It would, in principle, seem to be the interpretation applied by the Civil Guard to our budding Nibali on the descent from Barx, as the fine was issued for travelling at 77 km/h on a stretch of road with a 60 km/h limit, and not for having exceeded the 45 km/h maximum limit established for bicycles in the General Traffic Regulation.

Exactly when and where the "traffic/road circumstances allow for higher speeds", however, is not clear.

Is this an important issue while cycling in Spain?

In general, it probably isn't: the case in question made the news to a large degree precisely because of its unusual nature, and cyclists being fined for speeding is certainly not the order of the day.

However, it would be wise to bear in mind that such speed limits do exist when cycling on Spanish roads.

The damage that one can do to oneself when emulating Lo Squalo di Messina is, in principle, a matter for personal concern, but things can, and often do, become more complicated when other road users and third parties are involved and not speaking Spanish, chasing a Strava segment or being on our holidays are not, to the best of our knowledge, considered extenuating circumstances under Spanish legislation.

Be safe.

One year after its inauguration in March 2017, Valencia’s Cycle Ring Road (Anell ciclista) has registered a 20% increase in users. 

Valencia’s Transit Management Centre (Center de Gestió de Trànsit de València) recently published data reflecting the average daily usage of the municipal cycling network, which has registered an overall monthly increase in users of 2.3 percent. The most noteworthy figures reflect the 20.6% increase in use of the city’s Cycle Ring Road, in conjunction with a drop in the volume of motorized traffic over the same period.

Characterized by its uniform width of 2.5 metres and its location on the city’s roads, rather than its pavements, this key element of the city’s transport infrastructure runs in a circular route through the central points of Calle Xátiva, Plaza San Augstín, Guillem de Castro,the right bank of the Turia Gardens, Plaza de Tetuán, Puerta del Mar and Calle Colón.


The overall number of users using the Cycle Ring Road has increased by almost 4000 per day over the last year, with points such as Calle Xàtiva having registered up to 3,105 cyclists per day.

It is notable that the number of cyclists using the bridges which cross the Turia Gardens, and which serve as the main points of access to the Cycle Ring Road, fell by 1.9%, whilst bicycle traffic in the rest of the city rose by 4%.

With a 22.8% increase, Calle Cuenca in the east of the city registered the highest growth in usage of all the points that lie outside the Cycle Ring Road.