Shaped by the desert, the Roman Empire, the Mediterranean, and the Spanish mountains, Spain represents a cross between epic history and epic cycling. Ancient traditions like the siesta fit perfectly next to broadband internet and nearby grocery stores. Spain in March is at the top of the food chain of cycling destinations. Your eyes will verify the power of geography as you pass and get passed by a famous cycling name or two on the mountains that have made La Vuelta legendary.

Our choice of Marina Alta in the Southeast of Spain reflects all those descriptions, and it is also a perfect training ground for the upcoming season. While your friends and peers struggle to ride in the cold back home, you can explore some of the world’s most beautiful mountains. There is no better way of getting to know a country, its culture, and its people than cycling. Our mountainside villa accommodates up to 10 people, and it serves as our home base for all our rides. 

There are several ways to get to the villa. Included in the price of your tour is a round trip transit to Parcent from the Madrid airport. The bus will leave at 12 noon. Most flights from the US arrive before 11 a.m., and we have scheduled the bus to leave right after lunch, giving you plenty of time to clear customs and hop on the bus. For those of you who would like some freedom, you can take a train to Valencia or Alicante and rent a car from there, shortening your drive to about an hour. There is plenty of parking at the villa for up to 5 cars. For sure, there will be negligible traffic once you leave the big cities, as Parcent has a population of 1100 or so.

Participants have two options after a European group breakfast each morning.

1. You can join a guided ride through the mountains and valleys, stopping at small roadside cafés for refreshments and snacks. We place people in pace groups, and ride leaders travel with one of the groups. We stop at least once every two hours or so for refreshments and photos. We arrive back at the villa in the early afternoon, with time for cleanup and a siesta before dinner. Expect empty roads, epic climbs, and descents that include views of the sea. All of the rides are on Ridewithgps.com, and we almost never ride the same roads twice. Duathletes will have a brick run every other day.
2. You can “do your own thing.” Some take a car and explore the nearby sights, and some take advantage of our proximity to the beach (we are only 20 minutes away). Others hike on the trails in the mountains around Parcent, and some need a day off, stay at the villa, and enjoy a winter day in the desert.

 Bus pickup in Madrid at noon, local time. Travel to the Villa.  Arrive around 4:30 pm for a full meal after your day of travel. For those arriving independently, Alex leads an easy spin around Parcent in the afternoon. 

 100 km on the Bennie's Loop.  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/33947553 plus a bit more

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/45663806

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38148574

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38148154

We ride until lunch when we return our bikes and prepare for a final dinner together.  Riders pick their own route

We leave the villa and put everyone on a train from Alicante to Madrid. where you fly home.  Earlier departures can be accommodated via train service in Alicante.