Camp Andalucia '24

EL CHORRO

The first day of riding! Unfortunately, the forecast promises fog. Preparing, checking the gear, chatting before heading out... outside, we’re greeted by an unpleasant chill. We start with a descent and quickly head into the terrain. Andalusian gravel trails greet us, and the first river crossing is ahead. Just before reaching the Guadalhorce River lake, the sun finally breaks through. This is the reward for getting up early in the fog. Here, the group splits. The shorter route leads us through a picturesque valley to El Chorro. We descend with a view of the Caminito del Rey. The longer route loops around the lake on a scenic path of dried mud. The final stretch takes us up a mountain with windmills, where we get a breathtaking view of the entire area bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. We end the day at a family restaurant in our village. Besides burgers, fish, and fruit soup, we even get served shark!

MALAGA

It was supposed to be a calm, uneventful transfer day. However, plans quickly changed — the group didn’t even make it to Málaga before things took a turn. The phone rings — immediate intervention needed. We have to head over in the van to take our friend to the hospital. The van, now playing the role of a makeshift ambulance, rushes to pick up injured Konrad. Unfortunately, he fell onto a stone, damaging his kneecap and tibia. The formal fight with hospital procedures and insurance begins.

Meanwhile, the rest of the crew sets off to explore Málaga. The city is a delight — coffee, pastries, and, most importantly, the sea. Time for photos, collecting shells and stones. The second base is located in the mountains, which means a demanding climb at the end. Not everyone was prepared for this. The group stretches out, each person arriving at different times and from different directions. The second base rewards the hardships of the journey with a beautiful view of the picturesque mountainous surroundings. There's even a pool, but no one dares to dip into it.

ALHAMA DE GRANADA

The day begins with a climb. The whole group rides the start of the route together, mixing and passing each other along the way. There's time to chat, and the climb is long, though once again, the views are hidden by fog. The entire 15-kilometer ascent takes us along the old narrow-gauge railway route. The road gradually climbs to the pass, which marks the boundary of the plateau and also serves as the gateway to the Granada province. At the summit, a reward awaits — a stunning gravel descent along a wide premium road. The path winds along the mountainside, ending at a tunnel carved into the rock that leads us into the town.

In the town near the pass, it’s cold and windy. We storm a bar. It's warm inside, they serve coffee and bocadillos — everything we need. Refueled with coffee, we're ready to continue. At this point, the group splits. Both routes lead to Alhama, but in different ways. The long route tackles another mountain, with the first view of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada on the way. Meanwhile, the short route travels through the scenic Tajos de Alhama gorge. The plan for the short group is simple: 20km of riding, then coffee, another 20km, then more coffee. After exiting the gorge and entering the town, we head straight to a café. Another coffee, tapas, Aquarius, and soon, the long group arrives. The sun comes out, and nobody is in a rush to leave or head home. To wrap up the day, we have another breathtaking descent down to Alcaucin.

VELEZ-MALAGA I MERCILESS CONCRETE CLIMBS

Day four was a rest day for some. The Andalusian climbs can be brutal. As usual, we descended from the base and faced a slight uphill to reach the lake. Looking at the map, one might expect a grand lake — some imagined yachts, boats, and pedal boats. In reality, the lake was more of a pond, most of it dried up due to the ongoing drought. It will likely only fill up again in the spring. Both groups ride the first 25 km together, enjoying the time for conversation but also chasing the front runners. Just before splitting into the two routes, we encounter the first "betonka."

"Betonka" is a wonderful Spanish invention. When a gravel road is too steep for cars to ascend (around 15-25%), they pour concrete on it. Not everyone in the group knew what to expect from these betonkas. The short route steadily climbs these concrete paths, higher and higher. Just past the pass, we meet a dog the size of a small pony. It's very friendly and even eager to give kisses. The guys who were riding a bit behind me said it tried to eat them — strange.

We reach the last village before home, grab a quick coffee and some whiskey-flavored ice cream, and we're good to go. Unfortunately, Janek had planned the route to avoid repeating the asphalt climb back to the base, opting for a more challenging off-road route instead. To say the climbs were steep would be an understatement. If anyone stopped, they had no chance of starting again and had to walk. Meanwhile, the long group made it to Comares for coffee and cake, following the example of the short group from the previous day. After 20 km, they too stopped for coffee and burgers. Aside from that, it was the usual — steep concrete climbs, beautiful views, and more brutal ascents.

TRANS SIERRAS - THE QUEEN'S STAGE

The final transfer of the trip. The longest and most challenging route we decided to offer participants. In the morning, we split according to the chosen route — some quickly opt for the most difficult variant, while others choose the intermediate one. No one picks the easy version! Some gathered the courage all evening, consulting, packing energy bars, and even sneaking cheese from the fridge. The hard route only has two climbs — nothing too complicated. The real challenge lies in the lack of civilization for most of the day, meaning no chance to get water or a bocadillo... and the fact that the first climb alone took half a day.

A split happens quickly, with the front group pulling ahead. However, no one is left alone. Everyone waits for someone or catches up with someone else to form smaller subgroups. Everyone reaches the summit, where breathtaking views await. These views were the perfect reward for the nearly three-hour climb. To finish the day, we had another incredibly scenic stretch: a 30-kilometer asphalt descent along the famous Carretera de la Cabra — the road of the goats.

By 5 PM, the first group starts arriving — cold, tired, but happy. Everyone is in awe of the views along the way, but they’re also rushing to their rooms for a hot shower. The last pair arrives at 10 PM! Turns out, they were the last but the best prepared. Spirits were high, with both of them wearing five layers of clothing, gloves, buffs, and even chemical warmers! The toughest day ended in complete success. In the evening, after dinner at the hotel restaurant, everyone heads to their rooms — no one has the energy left for further celebrations.

REST DAY

After the hard day yesterday, no one was keen on epic adventures. I (Doma) take charge and lead the group to the only nearby bike café: Coche Coche. The route to the café is a wild 8 km, including (of course) a steep climb. But just one! The café is exactly what we needed after the previous day's challenges. Tables in the sun, just a few steps from the beach, speciality coffee, Instagram-worthy salads, and they even have soy milk! Shock! As usual, part of the crew went for one more climb (some of them clearly weren’t tired yet), and part stayed for a third coffee in the sun.

It turns out, we also had two brave souls who decided to come for coffee... ON FOOT. Who does that? They probably had more sore legs later than from the bike. We spent the evening by the sea, watching the sunset and collecting seashells. A fairy tale.

THE FINAL ROUND

The last day, the last climb. It’s incredibly long – over 35 km of uphill. You could get bored to death. Fortunately, the "locals" joined us (@weronika.szalas and @morning.kejt). We start in a gorge with a view of the snow-capped peaks of Sierra Nevada, and soon after, we turn into a gentle valley. The new faces in the group turned out to be a great motivation for the final push.

The climb, like every other in Andalusia – long, with sections of concrete, burnt hills, and a beautiful view of Sierra Nevada. Finally, we reach the pass! Now it’s time for the descent, although some members of the group decided to go for one more jump in the terrain. The lazier ones went straight to the famous descent of La Ruta de La Cabra. It’s an old path that shepherds used to drive their goats up into the mountains, and now it’s a beautiful, asphalted road with stunning views. Long, winding, and fast.

Back to important matters – after a whole day in the mountains, we stop for food and coffee. Then straight to dinner. The final base is a hotel, so we’re in for a royal feast! To finish – boxed wine on the beach, and with that, we wrap up the trip. THE END!