Calpe in winter is the cyclist’s winter. The light is low and the mornings are cold enough for a jacket, but by ten the sun is on the road and the climbs warm you up the rest of the way. Six days, six rides, all from a single base on the Costa Blanca coast: Hotel Cap Negret.
We run Calpe twice — once in December and once in January. Same hotel, same roads, the same steady pace; pick the week that suits you. The January week starts on the 16th, and the cyclocross race rolls into town the next morning, so anyone who wants to can take it in before the riding settles in.
The Costa Blanca holds the European peloton in winter for a reason — quiet roads, a thousand kilometers of coastline, and the iconic climbs of the Marina Alta and the Sierra de Aitana within a morning’s ride from the door. The week is built around the named climbs (Coll de Rates, Vall d’Ebo, the Puerto de Tudons, Sierra de Bernia) with one lighter coastal day in the middle to let your legs come back to you.
Rides leave from the door. The pace is steady. The group is ten. There is a support vehicle on the long days and a coffee stop or two on every ride. Evenings are dinner together, then bed.
Bring a winter base layer, a rain jacket, and a pair of leg warmers. We will ride between four and six hours most days, with one easier day and one longer one near the end of the week.
The route
- Day 1Arrivals · Calpe
Pickup from Alicante airport — arrive by 1pm. Settle in at Hotel Cap Negret, on the seafront. Welcome dinner on the terrace.
Photo — Day 1 - Day 2Coll de Rates85 km · 1250 m climbing
The classic. Out through Parcent, up the long gentle Coll de Rates, descend to Tárbena, return through Castell de Castells and Pego. The Calpe warm-up ride with real climbing on the back end.
Photo — Day 2Coll de Rates 9.2 km · 471 m · 5.1% avg · 7% max - Day 3Vall d'Ebo & the gorges105 km · 1700 m climbing
Up through the Vall d'Ebo gorge to Planes, then a long ridge across to Quatretondeta and Confrides before the descent home. The day the legs remember.
Photo — Day 3Vall d'Ebo 6.0 km · 320 m · 5.3% avg · 7% max Confrides 6.5 km · 345 m · 5.3% avg · 7.5% max - Day 4Cumbre del Sol & the coast80 km · 1050 m climbing
An easier day, but only by Calpe standards. Out along the coast through Moraira, up the Cumbre del Sol, into Jávea for coffee, return over Cap de Sant Antoni. The lightest climbing of the week.
Photo — Day 4Cumbre del Sol 3.8 km · 362 m · 9.5% avg · 14% max - Day 5Aitana & the Puerto de Tudons130 km · 1900 m climbing
The biggest day. Inland through Confrides, up the Puerto de Tudons to the Aitana foothills, descend to Sella, and the long way home. The day that gets bookmarked.
Photo — Day 5Puerto de Tudons 11.5 km · 810 m · 7.0% avg · 11% max - Day 6Sierra de Bernia95 km · 1400 m climbing
A final loop around the Bernia ridge with the Peñón in view for most of it. Lunch back at the hotel. Afternoon to pack and rest.
Photo — Day 6Coll de Bernia 4.8 km · 277 m · 5.8% avg · 8% max - Day 7Departures
Transfers to Alicante. Coffee for the road.
Photo — Day 7
What's included
- Six nights at Hotel Cap Negret, on the Costa Blanca seafront
- All meals at the hotel, with wine
- Daily guided rides with a small support vehicle
- Pre-trip route briefing
- Airport transfers from Alicante
- Bike rental (we can arrange — $380 for the week)
- Travel insurance
- Flights
10 riders. 6 nights.
The journey is small on purpose. If it sounds right for you, send a note — we'll write back with the route notes and any open dates.
Inquire about Calpe →