Spain
by Road Bike

First touch of Spanish tarmac after the flight — a quick legs-opener along the Fuengirola seafront to shake off the journey. Flat coastal roads, warm evening air, and the Mediterranean glittering under a low sun. A gentle promise of what was to come.

The trip's first big day, and it delivered everything. Starting from Fuengirola, we climbed deep into the Sierra de las Nieves — Andalucía's newest national park — before descending through the gorge beneath the famous Caminito del Rey walkway. Steep limestone walls, pine forests, and the kind of roads that make you forget about the 147 kilometres and 2,600 metres still in your legs.

A recovery ride in name only. The climb from Marbella up to the white village of Ojén has real bite — steep, narrow streets that open onto sweeping views over the coast and the sea below. Easier on the numbers than the days before, but full of character.

El Torcal de Antequera: a lunar landscape of limestone karst towers rising from the mountain plateau. The ascent from Málaga is long and relentless, punching through terraced olive groves before the road opens up into something alien and beautiful. Over 2,300 metres of climbing, with the descent into Antequera one of the day's great rewards.

The Queen's Fountain loop — a rolling figure-eight through the hills above Málaga, winding through Casabermeja and the sunburnt olive groves of the Andalucían interior. A perfect mid-week ride: enough climbing to feel genuinely earned, enough descent to feel fast. The kind of day that reminds you why you came.

Into the Axarquía — Málaga's wild and largely unvisited eastern comarca. White villages clinging to steep hillsides above terraced mango and avocado groves, and roads so quiet you could hear your own breathing. Starting from Rincón de la Victoria, the gradients were merciless and the views were not.

A full day off the bike in Granada. The Alhambra at golden hour, tapas crawling through the Albaicín, coffee in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada. Some days are for riding hard. Some days are for remembering where you actually are.

Half of the legendary Veleta ascent — one of Europe's highest paved roads — starting from the centre of Granada. The Sierra Nevada looms over the city and the climb is a masterclass in mountain scale: snowfields on the upper slopes, wildflowers below, and lungs that had to find something extra in the thinning air.

West from Loja into Andalucía's lake district — the turquoise waters of the Iznájar reservoir stretching out in every direction, set against terracotta hills and white-washed villages. A more intimate day than the mountain epics, but the roads were fast, the light extraordinary, and the legs felt strong.

From Córdoba's historic centre, north into the protected hills of the Sierra de Hornachuelos — one of Andalucía's least-visited natural parks. Ancient dehesa woodland, cathedral-like cork oak forests, and not a single car for miles. 112 kilometres and nearly 2,000 metres of climbing through country that felt entirely untouched.

Details coming soon.