CyclistBig Ride: Reach for the sky in SpainWhen planning a cycling trip, Europe offers two main options: overcrowded destinations with good coffee, smooth tarmac and a sense of community, or hidden gems that require a bit more planning but pay off in beautiful roads so quiet you can hear the tumbleweed.This ride is definitely the latter. Im in Grgal, a small town in the south of Spain about half an hour north of Almera city on the edge of the Tabernas Desert, which unsurprisingly doesnt have quite the same level of resources as your Mallorcas, Tenerifes and Gironas. But Im told that what it lacks in infrastructure and star-spotting opportunities, it more than makes up for in tranquillity, climbing and actual star-spotting.Matt Ben StoneJoining me for the ride is Dirk, who like many European retirees spends his summers at home and comes down here when the seasons change. Hes slenderly built like Joaquim Rodrguez so Im nervous about keeping up on the climbs, the first of which begins only a short distance out of town.Depending on who you ask, the climb to Calar Alto can be as long as 37km, but thankfully Grgal is already about 14km into that and Dirk promises the rest is mostly easy-going. We start with a few kilometres of false flat to warm up, passing between dense clusters of plastic greenhouses.The Tabernas Desert ends at the foot of the mountains, so theres plenty of life in these hills.Matt Ben StoneThese are arguably the most notable feature of this part of Spain. Almera is known as the garden of Europe due to a sea of plastic under which about three million tons of vegetables are grown each year. The scale of it is enough to keep us distracted until the road starts rising.The Calar Alto climb really begins when we pass the sign welcoming us to the Sierra de Los Filabres mountain range our arena for today.Constellation prizeWith several thousand metres of elevation on the way, I want to stick to a gentle roll where possible, and Dirk seems happy to take it easy. He tells me he had to stop sharing his average speed on Strava after he got concerned messages on a ride that slipped below 30kmh. Since turning it off he says hes finally felt able to enjoy the views.Matt Ben StoneThe gradients here are all but made for a steady ride. The first half sits consistently around 5%, the second half is only a little steeper, and Dirk says the toughest section comes just after a short descent, which always helps.Given were in a desert Europes only desert Im surprised how green the surrounding hills are. Dirk explains it isnt always like this, especially in the heat of summer, but it doesnt take much rain to change the complexion of the landscape, and our ever-increasing altitude helps with the temperature considering there isnt an inch of shade.The Almeran landscape is spectacular, and the Calar Alto climb has full view of it most of the way up.Matt Ben StoneEven halfway up I have no sense of where the summit is. Weve been edging our way along the hillside but the peaks feel like theyre in touching distance. If the route wasnt on my head unit Id guess we were almost there.We tap our way up the steeper 10% section and take a brief pause to enjoy the panorama, which stretches from the dazzling sunlit sea just beyond the city all the way to the snow-capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada in the west. There isnt much time to stick around though, because were still 11km from the summit.Matt Ben StoneIt really feels like were about to hit the top when we get our first glimpse of the Calar Alto Observatory. It doesnt look far away but the road winds on and on, in and out of the trees, and theres a pretty chilly wind, so every time we get tree cover the temperature lifts significantly.We tip over to the north side of the mountain with 7km to go. Its hard to believe were still so far from the summit but Dirk assures me this section is fast with a few pinches that keep the average gradient up. The road sign claims an average of 1% for the next couple of kilometres as we fly past the turn-off for the Calar Alto refugio.You know the end is in sight when the telescopes of the observatory are this close.Matt Ben StoneEach corner feels like the last but its only when one of the telescopes pokes out above the trees that it becomes true. The road goes straight through the observatory, which is shared between Spanish and German astronomers and the telescopes here include one of Europes largest. While Calar Alto isnt the tallest mountain in the Sierra de Los Filabres at around 2,200m, its the clearness of the night sky that explains why the observatory is situated here.Matt Ben StoneDirk doesnt have much body fat and hes feeling the cold so we layer up and head down the mountain. Were also getting weird looks from a pair in a car who I can only assume are astronomers, so thats our cue.All play and no workThe descent off Calar Alto is 15km to our turn-off, and its split into two sections, the first a single-lane strip of tarmac that feels near vertical and plunges us down several hundred metres in a disappointingly short time. We then come out onto a wider, smoother road that signals a chance to make the most of my weight advantage.The region around the Calar Alto Observatory is blessed with clear skies great for stargazing and for bike riding.Matt Ben StoneThe 25km that follows starts inconspicuously, the road winding and rolling through the valley. We pass an olive grove, round a bend and then the road changes. Two lanes turn to one and all of a sudden were snaking our way along on a rolling singletrack road we have all to ourselves. Im a little nervous on the first blind corners, but then I remember theres literally no one else here. Its every cyclists dream, although its not easy riding theres barely a moment of flat and even a kilometre or two of proper climbing. Luckily thats followed by a lovely flowy descent because I need to rest my legs for whats to come.The descent from Calar Alto has a short kicker before you plummet back down the mountain.Matt Ben StoneWe regain the other lane as we fly downhill. I ask Dirk to stop as we pass through Castro de Filabres as theres not much descending left and Ive spotted a perfectly timed roadside tap to fill up our bottles. Were soon back onto the valleys flat roads, heading towards the hills and passing the welcome sign for Velefique our next conquest.Desert to dessertThe name Velefique comes from the Latin (via the Arabic of this areas settlers) vallis fici, meaning valley of the fig tree. It holds half-true today; there are plenty of groves but they are mainly olive and almond.There are five telescopes at Calar Alto, the biggest having a 3.5m aperture, making it one of Europes largest.Matt Ben StoneBefore we even get to the official climb the road heads upwards steeply to Velefique village. Its a brutal run-in but were welcomed into town by the sweet strains of What is love, baby dont hurt me from the radio of a building site.Velefique isnt big, but its the most built-up place on this ride. There are amenities here, the best one according to Dirk being the restaurant at the local swimming pool a tempting thought but its closed today, so we grab some supplies and eat them in a carpark.The fast road from Calar Alto to Grgal a descent so good we did it twice.Matt Ben StoneAny fan of the Vuelta a Espaa will know whats in store on the Alto de Velefique. Its hairpins have graced the race several times, most recently in 2021 when Damiano Caruso had a solo day out while the King of Spain himself, Primo Rogli, calmly defended his overall lead behind. Not quite the drama this climb deserves.Castro de los Filabres village greets us with vast stone banking, and a water refill is waiting around the corner.Matt Ben StoneI try to channel my inner Rogla as we get going, but I can only manage about half of his cadence as the gradient sticks around a leg-sapping 9%. Conversation has ground to a halt and been replaced with heavy breathing, and theres no other noise in this desert to drown it out.I think Ive been duped. Where are the famous hairpins? Im too locked in to even turn around for the view; all I can see is tarmac albeit very nice tarmac and shrubs.The official start of the Alto de Velefique comes as you round the steep corners in Velefique itself.Matt Ben StoneAround 4km after Velefique village I feel a slight easing in the required effort, so I look around. The hairpins are here. I can see the road starting to twist just below us and theres another turn just ahead. Its surprising how easy 6% feels when youve been suffering on steeper stuff.We settle back into a cruise and Dirk points out the top of the climb. It looks incredibly close but the road doubles the distance. With 20 hairpins to take us up, its easy to see how Velefique gets compared to Alpe dHuez, except, apart from a solitary snake, theres no one else here.The best view comes just before the Velefiques summit.Matt Ben StoneThe summit weve been working towards is not quite the actual summit thats 500m further on but we stop in a layby to take a final look back down the mountain. From here the road is expertly framed, with the sun overhead and the scenery stretching to the sea. Its stunning.We push on to the summit, where Im told the sign says 1,860m although its message is hidden beneath a thick layer of stickers. Theres a very tempting set of hairpins just down the road, but well save that for another day.Its easy to get distracted on the Alto de Velefique, even when the gradient sticks at a leg-sapping 9%.Matt Ben StoneWe can see the Calar Alto Observatory in the distance weve come a long way and were heading back that way. The descent flows until the village of Bacares, where the road pitches up again for our final showdown. Were over 100km into the ride now and have more than 3,000m of climbing in our legs, so a 10km ascent with double-digit gradients feels cruel. The only thing keeping my legs moving is the knowledge that after this its all downhill.I know the climb is ending when we take a left and the road steadies to a rolling plateau. I get a flash of dj vu and realise were at the turning for Calar Alto. Were back on the same descent we did earlier. I layer up, gulp down one last bit of food, take a few deep breaths, and down we go, all the way back to Grgal. Im ready for a siesta.Matt Ben StoneOo-a oo-a oo wa wa waWhile the climbs are the star of this show, the Tabernas Desert is one of Hollywoods favourite film setsIf you think this rides backdrop looks familiar, theres a good chance youve seen this area before on screens both big and small. The Spaghetti Western films (a derogatory term that ultimately stuck for these cowboy movies made by Italian directors such as Sergio Leone)of the 1960s and 70s frequently used parts of the Almera region to replicate the dry American landscape, including The Good, The Bad And The Ugly.The movie sets at Fort Bravo and Oasys are very close to our route and, as well as being tourist attractions, shooting still takes place there. Both were used for the 2012 Doctor Who episode A Town Called Mercy. And the list goes on, with TV favourites including Game Of Thrones, Black Mirror and even the music video for Little Mixs seminal hit Shout Out To My Ex.The Velefique summit is overlooked by a TV tower, which is tempting and possible to ride up to.Matt Ben StoneHow we did itTravelCyclist flew from London Gatwick to Almera. Direct flights are also available from a number of UK airports but they dry up in the cooler months, and the next closest options are Malaga and Murcia. Spain is also in the process of extending its high-speed rail, which would make Almera much more accessible by train. Almera town is about 15 minutes from the airport by car.AccommodationWe stayed in an Airbnb in central Almera, but many cyclists choose to stay in one of the nearby beach towns such as Cabo de Gata, Roquetas de Mar and Mojcar.ThanksMany thanks to Stu from Velo Velefique for helping to organise our trip, looking after us, driving us around, bringing the sunshine and dragging Dirk along for the ride. To book your own tour with Stu, go to velovelefique.com.The post Big Ride: Reach for the sky in Spain appeared first on Cyclist.