The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

White Villages of Andalucia 2022

April 23rd to May 8th

Ride Coordinator: Grant McAlister
Report by: Maura Schwartz

Starting out as the first international BAC group tour in 2 full years, 14 vaccinated/boosted and strong riders set forth on a 3B ride through beautiful landscape, under mostly blue Andalusian skies and great weather (except for one foggy, rainy pass) and sleeping in famed White Villages of Andalucía every night. Each village has its unique history to share, steep climb to reach it, storybook narrow and cobbled streets and friendly people. The hotels were 3-4 star and very welcoming; most had secure bike storage or let us keep the bikes in our rooms. 

Riders took advantage of visiting UNESCO World Heritage sites in Granada (Alhambra), Cordoba (Mosque-Cathedral, old Jewish quarter) and several National Heritage sites. Simon arranged a walking tour of old Cordoba on our first night there to get a feel for the old city, its unique 3-culture heritage and architecture and finish the tour with a “patio garden” visit with the family who shared the tradition, local sherry, wine, beer and the famous Andalucía cold tomato soup called salmorejo, a traditional recipe revered enough to enshrine it in a ceramic wall hanging in the old city.

The first several days found us riding rural farm roads through thousands of hectares of olive groves, often with Sierra Mountain views. Spain is experiencing drought conditions this year, but wildflowers were at peak flowering and created magical settings for photos. 

Zuheros is a magical mountain village in the region of Subbetica, population about 700 people, with hiking trails and bat caves nearby. It is one of Spain’s designated “most beautiful villages”. The city is crowned with ancient castle ruins. The ride out of the town included a via verde, or green way, through fields and along the river bed.

The scenery began changing to a mix of agricultural fields as we rode from Cabra to Antequera. In Antequera, most riders went on the famous Caminito del Rey walk, which required us to don protective helmets and be with a guide. This famous, highwire-esque walkway hugs vertical canyons, following the gorge where people built a train line in the nineteen hundreds. Ronda is a well-known, mountaintop, beautiful small city in Andalucia. The gorge bisects the 15th century new town from the main old city, dating to Moorish times. Wandering through Ronda and riding to the now famous “blue Smurf” village of Juzcar were highlights. The scenery changed again after Ronda, through cork tree forests, horticultural crop fields, famous bull (fighting) ranches, vineyards and more olives. 

The final day’s ride from Vejer to Tarifa was one of the most stunning. We passed through coastal villages, gorgeous beaches, a Roman ruin site, 2 lighthouses, a bit of gravel riding and finished at the most southern place in continental Europe. Tarifa is renowned for the wind and kite surfing, as well as being a port city with connections to Morocco. The mysterious African continent beckoned from the ancient fortress in the old section of town.

Keeping 14 riders fed and watered was mostly easy. The hotels provided breakfasts ranging from simple bread and toppings along with ample strong coffee to buffets with enough variety to have most of us make jersey-pocket sandwiches for the day. BAC happy hours’ liquid refreshments each evening tided us over until dinners, which typically started after 8pm.

Unfortunately, COVID couldn’t resist accompanying us. One rider tested positive in the first week; another tested positive before the return flight to the USA. This was not unexpected, but certainly was not a pleasant experience for them. That said, nearly every rider rode each day’s route.

Huge thanks to Simon (IberoCycles) for the routes, logistics and SAG; to Grant for helping develop bonus miles/climbs to daily routes and keeping us engaged with stories of his brevet training and experiences. This was our first BAC ride; we appreciated the camaraderie, the routes with lots of hills, views and the comfortable lodging and Andalucían foods.