Calpe — Vall d'Ebo & Castell de Castells

We rode this in March 2026, and it is one of the finest days on the bike on the Costa Blanca. Vall d'Ebo is the main climb, but it is the combination of Vall d'Ebo and the descent from Castell de Castells that makes this route special.

The route heads northwest from Calpe through the wine country of the Jalón valley — Llíber, Xaló, Alcalalí — on quiet roads with perfect tarmac. We stopped at Velosol in Xaló around km 25: two coffees and a bocadillo before getting down to business. Velosol is one of the few proper cycling cafés in the area, run by local cyclists who know every road in the valley. It is the right timing for a stop — you have warmed up without burning anything, and Vall d'Ebo is still an hour away.

From Xaló the route turns north through Orba and Sagra down to the coastal plain at Pego. This is where Port de la Vall d'Ebo begins. 7.82 km at 6% average, and it is one of the two climbs I return to every time I am in the area, alongside Tudons. The climb winds up through pine forest with bends and switchbacks opening out to the Pego valley and the Mediterranean beyond. There are flat sections mid-climb where you can lift the tempo and breathe, then it tightens again toward the summit. If you ride one climb on the Costa Blanca, make it this one.

After the Vall d'Ebo summit you roll down into the valley to Vall d'Ebo village and Restaurante Foc i Brasa — our mid-route stop. We found our way to it in the back streets behind the church: simple village restaurant with hot food, bocadillos de jamón y queso, and hosts who refilled our bottles without us asking. Stops like this are what set the routes in the Costa Blanca mountains apart from more touristed areas.

After Foc i Brasa comes Petracos. 3.95 km at 5.4% average — the forgotten third climb, not mentioned in most route descriptions. It comes at a tricky spot: right after the Vall d'Ebo descent, before you have recovered. Your legs are not where you thought they would be. Quiet inland roads, little traffic, and when you reach the top a new plateau opens out before you.

At the foot of Castell de Castells we stopped at Ca Joan on the Plaça Església — last coffee and refill the bottles before the descent toward Tàrbena. The Castell de Castells climb itself is 5.96 km at 4.1%, shorter and less dramatic than Vall d'Ebo. It is what comes after that makes it worth climbing.

The descent from Castell de Castells toward Tàrbena is one of the finest stretches of road in the region. Long, fast and technical — you are 20 minutes of concentrated riding on the bike, the valley opening up below you, and the tarmac is perfect all the way. These are the descents you climb for.

The final 30 kilometres from Tàrbena to Calpe are rolling roads through Bolulla and Callosa d'en Sarrià — mostly downhill, with a few small climbs along the way. We rolled home in the afternoon light. One of those rides you remember.