5 reasons to choose the Costa Blanca for your next training camp

This is a guest post by Clare Dewey. Clare is the founder of Epic Road Rides, the travel website for road cyclists. You can find her beautifully presented, free cycling guides at www.epicroadrides.com. The guides contain tried and tested route descriptions, GPX downloads and info on where to stay and when to go to 15 different cycling destinations around the world – including the Costa Blanca!

When cyclists are thinking about training camp destinations, one place that often gets overlooked is the Costa Blanca in Spain.

The area between Benidorm in the south and Dénia in the north is great for cyclists looking for long warm days and lots of hills and mountains to improve their fitness.

Tempted?!

Read on for the five reasons we love to train on the Costa Blanca.

1. Famous roads…

Nearing the summit of Vuelta favourite, the Cumbre del Sol

The Costa Blanca region contains a number of well-known roads.

One of the most famous is the mythical Cumbre del Sol. It’s a frequent stage finish in the Vuelta a Espaňa (most recently in 2015 and 2017) and it’s an absolute beast of a climb!  From Alcasar, it’s a 4.5km climb from the CV-737 to the very top, with a 7.3% average gradient. It’s steep from the start, and there are sections which are over 15%, with one sustained pitch at 18%. The maximum gradient is 19%!

The other big hitter in the area is the Coll de Rates. It’s an iconic climb and one not to be missed if you’re in the area. The wide coastal panoramic views towards the top are out of this world while the winding hairpins down to Taberna are a cyclist’s dream.

2. …and hidden climbs

While we’re talking about the Coll de Rates, I’ll let you in on a secret – don’t stop when you come to the restaurant at the top! There’s a strange little asphalt path that starts up at the end of the car park and takes up to a hidden summit. The gradients are crazy, but it’s totally worth it.

The mountains of the Costa Blanca specialise in quiet mountain roads. There are some seriously beautiful roads to ride – Guadelest and the Vall d’Ebo definitely fall in this category.

3. Great climate

Warm, sunny skies of the Costa Blanca region in March

The Costa Blanca has a warm climate that makes it a great spring training destination. The region says it gets more than 300 days of sunshine per year and the World Health Organisations says it has one of the best climates in the world.

4. Train like a pro

No wonder the Costa Blanca is such a popular training destination!

Given the climate and the roads, it’s no surprise that the Costa Blanca is a super popular destination for the pros. In 2016, ten of the eighteen World Tour teams held training camps in Calpe!

If you want to train in the backyard of the pros, this is a great place to do it.

5. Lots of non-cycling activities too!

Calpe’s long, sandy beach

If your idea of a training camp incorporates some aspects of a holiday too, the Costa Blanca is a great place to head.

White, sandy beaches abound in Albir and Calpe (although it’s unlikely to be warm enough for sunbathing until later in the season) and large coastal hotels offer a variety of activities including pools, saunas and spa treatments.

If you head inland you’ll find a more traditional, Spanish way of life with attractive villages such as the spectacular perched village of Guadalest. There are also the Cueva de las Calaveras (which translates to Cave of the Skulls!) a 400m network of prehistoric caves that are over 150 million years old.

And finally, if coffee is your thing, don’t miss D’Origen café in Albir; amazing beans from Barú Black Mountain farm in Panama that they roast by hand in Albir.

Want to plan a trip?

Hopefully this article has left you feeling inspired to book a training camp on the Costa Blanca!

If it has, you’ll want to take a look at our full, free guide to cycling the Costa Blanca

Click Here to see a Gran Fondo held in Costa Blanca like no other, hosted by All Things Ride.