This article was first published in Issue 130 of Rouleur.
The Mediterranean mountains hold a special fascination. Walking or even cycling through them allows you to appreciate the characteristic local smell: a mixture between the saltpetre breeze of the sea and the sweet aroma of the pines. At the right time of the year, during summer, the scent of genista in flower, rosemary and warm soil are rolled into a heady mix. This being Alicante, the wind and proximity to the Spanish desert mean that you can also find cacti and palm trees here.
Although Alicante (Alacant in Catalan) is known for its beaches, it is one of the most mountainous areas of the Iberian Peninsula. It has no great colossus – the highest peak is the Alto de Aitana, at 1,558 metres, but it does have a lot of climbs – there are some 170 listed, and they are characterised by some quite steep gradients. In just a few kilometres you can go from sea level to spectacular views over the Mediterranean.
This rugged terrain lends itself well to outdoor sports and has been exploited very well by sports such as hiking, rock climbing and cycling. This is something that La Vuelta a España knows very well, as it has used mountain passes like Aitana on many occasions for those tricky days where epic breakaways fight out the stage win, and traps lie in wait for unwary GC contenders. Alicante has been a fixture especially in the modern era of the Vuelta, which has searched out spectacular, punchy ramps in giving the race a fresh narrative and identity.
France’s mountain ranges are concentrated in three regions – the Alps on the eastern border, the Pyrenees on the southern border and centrally in the Massif Central. By contrast, Spain’s mountains are much more spread out and this allows for more creativity to link hilly and mountainous regions and toughen up the race. And Alicante has been one of this project’s success stories. Xorret de Catí, Alt de Tudons, Coll de Rates and Coll de La Vall d’Ebo are four of the most emblematic climbs of the region – they are hard, with winding, narrow roads, exposed to the sunshine with little shade, and segments that seem to have magnetic fields pulling riders backwards down the hill.
We have seen the professionals struggle up these climbs, but they are also highly valued by the local cyclists, of which there are many. According to the Federació de Ciclisme de la Comunitat Valenciana (Valencian Community Cycling Federation), there are 122 federated clubs in Alicante, not bad for a population of 1.9 million people and an area of 5,815.5 square kilometres. Cycling culture in Alicante is strong.
Mountains that end in the sea
The Xorret de Catí, Alt de Tudons, Coll de Rates and Coll de La Vall d’Ebo are part of the Baetic System, a chain of mountains which stretches from the Rock of Gibraltar to the Cap de la Nau just north of Alicante and is characterised by rocky outcrops and cliffs overlooking the sea. The Cap is where Spain comes closest to the Balearic Islands, and the geological origin of the Baetic System is closely related to the tectonic processes which shaped the Mediterranean region. Strong folding and faults make for rugged relief and deep ravines which are all exposed to the constant, leathery erosion of the wind and sea. It’s a karstic region, full of caves and crevices, where the vegetation, typically Mediterranean with mixed forests of pine, ash trees, oaks and boxwoods fight to keep a fragile foothold.
The Vuelta put the Xorret del Catí, which tops out at 1,097 metres, on the international racing map in 1998, in a stage won by José María Jiménez. Xorret del Catí is just under four kilometres long, with an average gradient of 11.5 per cent, as much a wall as a road. Before the advent of tiny modern gears, it wasn’t uncommon to see pros stalling on the climb – riders were forced to twist and turn up the road, especially on the side from Castalla, where the steepness reaches 22 per cent. Fabio Roscioli stalled here in 1998 and Rein Taaramae had to put his foot on the ground in the 2009 Vuelta. The most recent appearance of the climb at the Vuelta was in 2023, with victory for Primož Roglič. Like all regularly-used climbs, the finish can still be seen at the top and the fading painted names of riders decorate the bumpy surface, rough and wrinkled by the sun. At the same time, there is an off-the-beaten feeling to this pass – there are almost no signposts to it, and it has that magic touch of being lost in the middle of the forest. When the Vuelta is not here, which is most of the time, there is a lot of silence and an overwhelming scent of pine trees.
That sensation of being lost in the forest is similar in the final part of the 1,025-metre Alt de Tudons, which is a pass with several approaches. It can be climbed starting at sea level from Vilajoiosa, with 26 kilometres of steady uphill; or from Benasau or Penàguila, with routes of around seven kilometres, on which the pass is much more explosive, with stretches at 21 per cent. In all cases, it is marvellous to observe the erosive processes that have sculpted the karst landscape, creating characteristic sinkholes and crevices. And in all directions, the road twists and turns, with sharp bends and hairpins, allowing riders to look at the landscape and enjoy the changes in vegetation as the altitude increases. The journey starts among orange and almond groves in the Penàligua area and takes riders to the thick pine trees, holm oaks and bushes at the summit.
There is a further ‘secret’ climb, off limits most of the time, behind an iron gate that closes off the approach to the Aitana military base. If we could get through, as the Vuelta has done on four occasions with special permission to pass, we would reach 1,558 metres, which is the highest pass in the whole of Alicante. In those final six kilometres, the vegetation disappears and the distant view of the telecommunications antennae at the top give the sensation of being on a kind of Spanish Mont Ventoux. The last winner of a stage of La Vuelta here was Pierre Latour, for AG2R La Mondiale in 2016.
In some of the stages of the Vuelta in which Tudons has been climbed, it has not been a stage finish, but rather a mountainous challenge favouring breakaways. The Coll de Rates is a similar case. It has been used as a mountain pass in at least three mountain stages of the Vuelta in the last two decades, debuting in 2001.
To get to Coll de Rates, one of the most emblematic mountain passes in the Valencian Community and used many times by both the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and the Vuelta a España, you can do it from two sides. The hardest approach is from Parcent, another inland Alicante village in the Vall del Pop. Once again, the karstic landscape of the summit contrasts with the colours of the orange trees, almond trees and vines in the valley area. As we go over its horseshoe bends, the landscape opens up, giving rise to one of the most beautiful views in the region. From its slopes, we can see the sea and the whole valley. At the top, at 625 metres, there is a metal sign plastered with stickers from all the cycle tourists who pass by. But the curiosity is that it is not the sign of the pass but the name of the restaurant a little further up on a concrete road. Along this offshoot, riders can continue to the antennae at the summit. They say that on clear days you can see the islands of Formentera and Ibiza from there.
In pre-season, it is very common to find professional teams training on this pass, as it is the closest to the large hotel infrastructures of Altea, Dénia, Calp, La Nucia and Xàvia. Also close to Coll de Rates is the Coll de la Vall d'Ebo, nestled in the heart of the Marina Alta with winding roads. The road through the Vall d'Ebo, both on the east (eight kilometres at 5.5 per cent from Pego) and west (3.4 kilometres at 4.8 per cent from the village of La Vall d'Ebo) is known for its sharp bends and sudden changes in gradient, making it a technical challenge. In addition, the natural environment, with its rocky walls and Mediterranean vegetation, creates a unique setting. The Ebo valley is a remarkable example of the erosive action of water on limestone rocks that over the centuries has allowed the formation of caves, chasms and other characteristic underground formations. The road is lined by limestone rocks, bushes and some sparsely distributed pine trees, as if they did not want to block the views. Very characteristic of this pass are the white square bollards that, like dominoes, act as protection against the steep ravines. On the downhill, if we are on our bike, the space between those bollards and its shadows creates an effect as if we were watching an old cinema film. Alicante’s beaches may be known as a tourist destination, but there is treasure in the hills inland.
