From the plateau to the sea

This is a 6-day, linear route, for advanced cyclists, to pedal from the southern plateau of the peninsula to the Mediterranean Sea. Starting from Albacete, a city of La Mancha on the edge of the southern plateau, we continue along cattleroads to the lagoon of Petrola, already in the basin of the Segura river, and visited a series of seasonal ponds that serve as sanctuary to a multitude of migratory birds.

From here we enter the Baetic Mountains, passing through Yecla and following the greenway of the Xixarra, to the Sierra de Mariola Natural Park. From Alcoy, we continue along secondary roads and paths to climb to the sources of the river Xaló/Gorgos, which we will ride down to the foothills of the Montgo Natural Park, our final destination, in the Cape of San Antonio. Finally, we enjoyed a restday in Dénia on the shores of the Mediterranean sea before go back home. 

Since 1998 the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula are World Heritage Sites.

The city of Dénia was designated a UNESCO City of Gastronomy in 2015.

This route runs through Pétrola lagoon, Sierra de Mariola Natural Park, Aitana, Serrella i Puigcampana and Montgó, sites classified as SCI (Site of Community Importance) and as SPA (Special Protection Area) in the Natura 2000 network. Besides, it runs by Cabecicos de Villena and Riu Gorgos, also cataloged as SCI; and Yecla steppes and Moratillas-Almela, also areas protected as SPA.