One of the escapar team will meet you on arrival at the airport and transport you directly to the retreat.

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If you are arriving on an early flight and wish to ride after assembling your bike or fitting of our hire bike, we recommend an easy rolling route towards Fontanars del Alforins as the perfect introduction to inland Valencia. Heading straight from the Finca, pristine tarmac immediately takes you onto on beautifully scenic and traffic free  country roads, where you'll pass by vineyards, bodegas and castles, with views of the Serra Mariola to your left and Serra Grossa to your right. It's locally known for good reason as the 'Tuscany of Valencia'. We have many other routes to choose from, if you want something more challenging.

We roll out from the Finca and drop down to briefly follow the Clariano (Ontinyent)  river taking us towards Ontinyent, where it's a short sharp climb backup to cross the stunning Santa Maria bridge and onto the mountains of the Serra Grossa. Our first big climb of the week takes up the Port de Portitxol, with stunning views of the Vall D'Albaida, Serra Grossa and Costera plains, matched by a spectacular descent, down through the gorge into Mogente and the nearby El Pobalado Ibero de La Bastida de les Alcusses, a 4th century BC Iberian city of major importance. We're quickly climbing Cumbres de Valencia towards Navalon, where we're spoiled with   fantastic views of lush green valleys, vineyards and crops furnished with plentiful ground water and scenery typical of Tuscany not arid southern Spain.  We descend the Torre Tallada and make our way through the pretty market town of Font de la Figuera to Fontanars del Alforins, from where we can choose the longer route back to Ontinyent, over the Port del Moro and our first 1000m climb or take the beautiful valley descent back to the foot of final climb of the day, the Ermita de Sant Esteve.  Having only been recently paved, it's not as well known as  other climbs but that will change as soon as the Volta or Vuelta choose to use it for a summit finish. From the junction it appears as a relatively benign 4.5km and 7.5%. However, with a 3km section averaging 10% of which  800m is over 13%,  it is not to be taken lightly. The rewards are worth the effort though, as the panoramic views from the Hermitage are simply unparalleled and it's a perfect way to end the first day before we roll downhill back to the Finca. 

We follow the rolling country side roads around the Serra Mariola  National park, heading eastwards to the Sierra de Aitana, through the Alcoià comarca and the small town of Penàguila, from where we'll climb Port de Tudons. It's perhaps one of the most famous climbs in the region, having regularly featured in La Vuelta and the Volta, but is beyond reach for many cycling from Denia and is therefore better served from Alcoy, Calpe and La Nucia. If open, the extended summit finish of Alto de Aitana, used in 2009 (Stage 8) and 2016 (Stage 20) is the highest in the whole region at 1558m and offers even more spectacular views of the Costa Blanca. It's an active military base and normally closed off to the public, but does open if the race visits. We return via the rolling roads that enclose the Serra Mariola, through Agres and Muro de Alcoy.

On the rest day you can choose to put your feet up and relax at the Finca, go sight seeing, walking or perhaps a gentle spin to a Bodega.

We recommend and can arrange the following:

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• Day in Xativa and trip to Xativa Castle 

• Day trip to Valencia

• Local walk to Pou Clar or Bocairent

• Sighting, shopping and Menu del Dia in Ontinyent

• Train ride through the Serra Mariola to Alcoy

• Wine testing Bodega visit and trip to Villena

We take the stunning country roads towards Fonatanars del Alforins before turning south and heading uphill over the Port del Moro and down into Beneixama. When it's hot there's welcome shade through much of the climb and the 1000m altitude can offer respite from the heat. We head towards to the Sierra de la Fontanella mountains, where there is an optional ascent of the Reconco as a continuation of the Puerto de Biar taking us to 1210m and more spectacular vistas. The star of today's show is the Xorret de Cati, probably the most famous climb in the region. It's not reachable from Denia and Calpe so most visitors will only have seen it in La Vuelta. It is popular with cyclists from Alicante and as the climb is set in the beautifully green Serra del Maigmo National Park, it provides a stark contrast to the arid scenery to the south. We return via the Puerto de Onil another Volta regular and ancient Banyeres de Mariola, the highest town of the Sierra Mariola before the descent back to Ontinyent through vibrant Spring time fields of colour, where cherries, sunflowers, oranges, olives and almonds are grown.

A day of stunning riding in and around the Serra Mariola National Park. We climb out of Ontinyent over the Port Bocairent and head towards the Port de Mariola. The riding and scenery is different from that you might have experienced nearer the coast, the land and colours and more vibrant, the fields greener and the mountain tops snowcapped in winter. We pass ancient Alcoy, a spectacular dmll city of more than 30 bridges and from here we have the choice to add two optional climbs. Neither are long, but both are a significant challenge. Valverde sealed the overall win, passing and dropping Simon Yates in the 2018 Volta on the final slopes of La Cantera.
Font Roja provides the highlight of the day, a climb in its own National Park that also affords wonderful views of the Serra Mariola opposite.

We finish our week in style with two of the most iconic climbs in the Valencia region. The Carresqueta is well known and has been used many times in La Vuelta and La Volta. It's reached heading south from Alcoy and is a wide safe road, despite there being a little traffic as you leave Alcoy. The views from the summit are amongst the most fantastic in the whole region and the descent to Xixona, home of Turron, can be taken safely at high speed for skilled riders. Our final leg home via Torremanzanas and Benifallim is one of our favourites and a fitting end to the week, as the Port de Benifallim in particular can make a claim as the most picturesque in the whole region.