5 very hard mountain passes to do in Spain

If you like hardness in training do not miss these 5 ports that you will surely remember

In the following article we want to present the 5 hardest ports in Spain, in each of the different mountain ranges: Cantabrian Mountains, Pyrenees, Central System, Bética Mountain Range and the Islands.

When cataloging these 5 ports as the hardest, we have relied on the Difficulty Coefficient [1], depending on the length and medium slope of the port, created by the web www.altimetrias.net We also want to emphasize that the 5 ports chosen are with the completely asphalted road and they could be part of a triathlon en route (There are tougher but unpaved ports).

Angliru (Cantabrian Mountains)

  • Distance: 12,6 km
  • ramp: M 1265
  • % Medium: 10,04%
  • Altitude: 1570m
  • Coefficient: 515

The Angliru is living history of the Vuelta Ciclista a España modern, as it was first uploaded in 1999 and since then it is the usual final stage.

The port consists of 12,6km divided into two distinct parts, the ascent starts at La Vega (Riosa) and the first 5km have an average height difference around 8%, later in the Vía Pará area there is 1km of level plain at 2% ... and from there the hell starts, the following 5km have an average of almost 14%. Les Cabanes, Cobayos and Cueña les Cabres are the best-known ramps of this ascent, with percentages higher than 22%.

The Angliru is a d them tougher ports that have ever been promoted in professional cycling, and the km that is between the 10 and 11 of ascension, has an average of 17,5% ... one of the hardest km in the history of cycling.

[1] http://www.altimetrias.net/articulos/4cd.asp

Angliru Photo: www.plataformarecorridosciclistas.org

NAVACERRADA - BOLA DEL MUNDO (Central System)

  • Distance: 21,8 km
  • ramp: M 1350
  • % Medium: 6,2%
  • Altitude: M 2257
  • Coefficient: 397

The port of Navacerrada is a Classic of the Sierra de Madrid, both for its slope of Cercedilla and for that of "the 7 revolts" of Segovia. From Collado Villalba are almost 22 km of ascent, divided into three parts, the first 10km is a grateful terrain, with practically flat and gently sloping km, without reaching in any km at 6%.

After Cercedilla. Afterwards, the race climbs remarkably, with 9km at an average of 8% until reaching the summit of Navacerrada port. Finally, the final section runs along a narrow cement road where more than 400m is saved in less than 4km, the first two km have an average of 10%, the third km to an average of 12,3% have ramps of almost 20% and the last meters are to the 11,3 until crowning the top to 2257.

This port is part of the route of the Triathlon Ball of the World, one of the toughest triathlons in Spain, as we included in our list of toughest triathlons.

SIERRA NEVADA - PICO VELETA (Cordillera Bética)

  • Distance: 44,3 km
  • ramp: M 2557
  • % Medium: 5,57%
  • Altitude: M 3367
  • Coefficient: 549

El hardest port (according to APM coefficient) of Spain and the highest paved road in Europe. A super colossus of over 40km of ascension and a peak that comfortably exceeds the 3.000m of altitude.

The climb of Sierra Nevada - Pico Veleta in its first part has several slopes, we have chosen the one that runs from Pinos Genil, passing through Güejar-Sierra until reaching the Collado de las Sabinas because it is the hardest of them all. The Collado de las Sabinas is crowned by more than 2000m of altitude after 26km of ascension.

At this point there will still be 16 km of ascent with the added difficulty of the altitude where there is less oxygen. In the 33 km in the area of ​​the shelters we find a barrier that prohibits the passage of motor vehicles. After passing the barrier, the horseshoe curves begin, passing next to the monument to the Virgen de las Nieves. This area has a "lunar landscape" without vegetation and we must emphasize that we can only circulate here in summer, since in winter everything is covered with snow. After more than 44km of ascent you reach the Veleta peak, the second highest mountain in the Iberian Peninsula

Part of this ascent, to the area of ​​Pradollano, is part of the Sierra de Nevada Triathlon, the toughest triathlon in Spain as we highlight in our article of the hardest medium distance triathlons in Spain.

Photo: www.altimetrias.net

ROQUE DE LOS MUCHACHOS - LA PALMA (Canary Islands)

  • Distance: 29,6 km
  • ramp: M 2164
  • % Medium: 7,31%
  • Altitude: M 2400
  • Coefficient: 477

So far the three ports we have cited have climbed in cycling competitions, mainly in the Vuelta a España (Sierra Nevada - Veleta, only up to Sierra Nevada, at the 2300m level) but these last two have never been up in competition. We travel to Canary Islands, where we could have included other harder ports such as Teide in Tenerife or Pico de las Nieves in Las Palmas, but we have been carried away by the one with the highest coefficient, that of Roque de los Muchachos on the island of La Palma.

The climb starts two kilometers before the town of Garafría, just where the forest trail of Roque Guincho ends and the asphalt begins. This port is characterized by practically no breaks in its almost 30km, there is only one kilometer with a slope less than 6% (the 6 km to the 5,9%). The first part to the refuge of Bailadero are 13km where almost 1000m of unevenness is saved to an average of 6,5%.

After Bailadera the hardest kilometers of the ascent take place, with 5km at an average of almost 9%, with maximum ramps of 15%. Once this zone is finished, the slope softens a bit, up to 7%, but there will still be 11km until the top that is at 2400m.

COLL DE PRADELL - FUMANYA (Pyrenees)

  • Distance: 17,1 km
  • ramp: M 1080
  • % Medium: 6,3%
  • Altitude: M 1732
  • Coefficient: 366

The first thing that needs to be clarified is that the port is not located in the Pyrenees, but in the pre-Pyrenees   specifically in the Sierra de Ensija, in the Alt Berguedà cormarca. The ascent is divided into three different parts, the first is Coll de Fumanya, a descent of 3km and finally a further 3km uphill until reaching Coll de Pradell.

The first part begins at the junction of the Cercs Thermal Power Plant to the Coll de Fumanya, 11km at an average of 8'5km, but with many ramps of the 12, 13 and 15. Especially hard the passage by St. Celoni, to the 9%.

After climbing the Coll de Fumanya to 1566m, we find a rapid descent to the Pla de la Barraca ... where we face the last three km of the climb to the Pradell, 3km at an average higher than the 12% with maximum ramps of the 23. This climb is the least known of the 5 that we present in this article and is the only one in which it is a port of passage to the 100% with several slopes from its top.

 

Photo: www.altimetrias.net

Note: The profile of the Coll del Pradell we have obtained from the web of http://www.ramacabici.com, the rest of profiles and all the information we have taken from the website www.altimetrias.com and http: // platformrecorridosciclistas.org/

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