100 Greatest Cycling Climbs of Spain

Book excerpt: Having documented the famous cycling climbs of France and Italy, Simon Warren completes his trilogy on cycling's Grand Tour nations with the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs of Spain. Packed full of the legendary roads on the Spanish mainland which have found fame in the Vuelta a España, such as the Angliru, Puerto de Velefique, Lagos de Covadonga and the mighty Pico Veleta, the featured climbs travel the length and breadth of the country – from the Pyrenees, across the Basque Country to Asturias, around Madrid and down through Cataluña to Andalucía. The book also travels out to sea to cover Mallorca and the Canary Islands. These perennially favoured destinations for cyclists searching for year-round sun are home to some extraordinary climbs, from Sa Calobra on Mallorca, to Teide on Tenerife, and the incomparable Roque de los Muchachos on La Palma.