On Your Bike

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.

Another climb to have featured many times in la Vuelta a España over the years, Puerto de l'Oronet is perhaps the most popular climb among cyclists living in and around the city of Valencia.

Easily reachable from the city of Valencia, the 8-km climb of l'Oronet serves as a gateway to Sierra Calderona, Sierra de Espadán and beyond.

Casas de Benalí is a 16 kilometre climb in the south-west of the province of Valencia

The virtually traffic-free climb takes us through olive groves and pine forests us to an altitude of @750 m.a.s.l.

A gentle, quiet climb to nowhere particular through the Sierra de Enguera, the climb to Casas de Benalí offers a virtually car-free asphalted climb and an off-road descent to the village of Navarrés. 

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.

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.

A relatively unknown climb outside the circle of local cyclists, Coll de Fredes' 16 kilometres of forest and hairpins take us deep into one of the Valencian Community's most beautiful areas and provide spectacular views of a unique landscape. Of middling difficulty, it is perhaps more of a challenge due to its length and the heat in summer months than the gradient of the climb itself.

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.

Road sign indicating minimum legal overtaking distance on Gandia - Simat Protected Cycling Route

In July 2017, the Director General of Traffic, Gregorio Serrano, presented Spain’s new Protected Cycling Routes network, one of the measures included in the Directorate General of Traffic's (DGT) Action Plan aimed at increasing the protection of cyclists on Spanish roads following the upturn in fatalities registered in 2016.

The Protected Cycling Routes have been selected in collaboration with public authorities, institutions and cycling associations, including the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation and the Spanish Professional Cyclists Association. According to Serrano, “the aim of this measure is to protect the thousands of cyclists who take to the roads mainly at the weekends to practice cycling, thus providing them with specially-controlled routes”.

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.

Work is to begin shortly on the first section of Valencia’s Metropolitan Green Ring Road, between the towns of Moncada and Meliana to the north of the city of Valencia, at a cost of around one million euros.

Once completed, the Valencia Metropolitan Green Ring Road will form a circular cycling and pedestrian route of more than 52 kilometre running through the outskirts of the Mediterranean city. In order to facilitate its development and construction, the Green Ring Road has been divided into 9 sections that will be undertaken in progressive stages.

The project forms part of the 2014-2020 ERDF Program, which includes a budgetary item of 34.8 million euros dedicated to the cycle paths and bike lanes to be developed by the Valencia Regional Government. A significant amount of this sum, 50% of which is to be covered by European Union funds, will be allocated to the development of the Valencia Metropolitan Green Ring Road.

Carlos Domingo, the Valencia's Director General of Public Works, Transport and Mobility, recently announced that the contract for the construction of the first section ('Section 6, Moncada-Meliana’) has been awarded for the sum of 908,151.16 euros, and that the works will begin in the coming days.


Measuring a total of 6.5 kilometres, section 6 will follow the “Barranco del Palmaret” and “Carraixet” service roads and cross through the municipalities of Moncada, Alfara del Patriarca, Vinalesa, Carpesa (Valencia), Bonrepòs i Mirambell, Cases de Bàrcena (Valencia) and Meliana, terminating at the CV-300 regional road, which lies at the western end of the municipality of Meliana.

From this point, the route will be extended in the future via section 7 to the village of Port Saplaya on the coast.

The entire route of Valencia's Metropolitan Green Ring Road will be marked with its own, distinctive signage, with Mr Domingo adding that, "information and informative posters relative to the environmental and cultural characteristics of the area and its surroundings will be included in the project."

Likewise, the metallic barriers currently installed on the “Palmaret” and “Carraixet” service roads will be replaced by safety elements which will both blend with the surroundings and provide the levels of safety appropriate for cyclists.

This section of the Valencia Metropolitan Green Ring Road will also include rest areas every 1.5km-1.8km, which will be equipped with informative signs about the areas of interest close to the route. The areas adjacent to the main route will be regenerated, and cleaning and revegetation will be carried out in several zones.

The Director General has emphasized that the road surfaces to be used have been chosen “taking into account the concept of sustainability: the current surfaces are to be recycled and stabilized with cement, reducing the generation of dust and combining durability with lower maintenance requirements.”

Future connection with Ojos Negros Greenway 

A proposal has been made to connect the future Valencia Metropolitan Green Ring Road with the Ojos Negros Greenway, which runs between the village of Ojos Negros en Teruel and the town of Sagunto en Valencia.

The plan, which would see the two routes connected at Las Molas in the municipality of Paterna, is backed by the association Per l'Horta, the Paterna Neighbours Associations Federation, Valencia en Bici-Acció Ecologista Agró and La Mola Verda Platform.

With plans already underway to connect the Ojos Verdes and the Via Xurra (Valencia - Puçol) Greenways, connection with the future Valencia Metropolitan Green Ring Road at Las Molas would extend the route to the areas lying to the south of Valencia via the El Saler coastal bike path and the network of rural tracks that exists in the comarques of l'Horta Sur, la Ribera and la Safor. The resultant greenway would be the longest in Spain.

Further information:

Ojos Negros Greenway
Xurra Greenway
Per l'Horta
Valencia en Bici 
Acció Ecologista Agró