Sierra Nevada - Puerto de Ohanes

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Almeria, Andalucía, ES

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Route Overview

bici-almeria.com

cycle trips in south eastern spain

71 mi.

7,099 ft.

bici-almeria's Alto de Ohanes Sierra Nevada route. A 115km ride with one big 13km climb about half distance. Spectacular.

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Route Details

Our newest bici-almeria.com route introduced for our guests in April 2015 and our first real venture west into the Sierra Nevada and the Alpujarras Almeriense. It is basically an out and back ride along the Andarax valley for 50km then a magnificent 13km climb up from @point[Canjayar](d,46763.09) to the white village of Ohanes and onto the peak at Tices de Ohanes. Then back down the same route back to Tabernas for a nice 115km round trip. There are plenty of good places to grab coffee and a bite to eat on this route.

There are plenty of places to park up for this ride in the town of Tabernas itself, the route on here starts from the @point[Los Malvinas](d,54.59) bar just of the N340 on the road towards Velefique. A fast, mostly downhill, first hour takes us down from Tabernas to the @slice[service road that runs alongside the A92 motorway](d,7971.84,14764.41). @photo[A92 service road](1124590) When we reach Rioja (alas not the home of the famous vineyards!) we go under the motorway and through the remarkably fragrant citrus groves of the @poi[Andarax valley at Paulenca](1405457). Just over the Almeria-Granada railway is the small town of Gador that represents the first chance to grab a coffee or tostado! From here we climb gently through the Sierra de Gador and pass the archeological site of @poi[Los Millares](1405458) and its magnificent view across the desierto and the orange/lemon groves.

After a brief plunge down into the Andarax valley again we head west through the villages of Terque, Bentarique and Illar, the first of which has a great little bar in its tiny town square. @photo[Terque](1124592) So after a coffee stop here, the ride continues along the valley floor before a short, sharp steep climb up to Illar. @slice[Illar climb](d,34066.41,34988.53) From here it is downhill to the start of the big climb of the ride, the Alto de Ohanes.

The climb of @slice[Alto de Ohanes](d,43223.76,54231.45) itself begins at km43 of the ride and is a real thing of beauty. Resurfaced in 2014 it is as wonderful a piece of road surface as a road cyclist could ask for. A ribbon of pristine, smooth black tarmac snakes its way up from 475m at the base to 1115m over 11km. The gradient is steady 5-6% for the vast majority of the climb but like all big mountain rides there is a stingingly steep pitch about 7km from the start where it is well into double digit %s. On reaching the village of Ohanes there is the option to continue round the @photo[hairpin](1124591) and onto the remarkable @photo[Obispado de Tices](1124596) (a quite huge church at the top of the mountain, splendid in its isolation). Alternatively the climb could finish after 8km at the village where the town bar serves a good selection of hot and cold food. After such a beautiful climb on the super road surface please do enjoy the descent, the sweeping bends and the almost beguiling snake-like image beneath you. @photo[descent of Ohanes](773551)

From the base we retrace our route back to Tabernas pretty much as we came, just veering of the main road through each of the tiny white villages on the way.

Sierra Nevada - Puerto de Ohanes

Route Overview

Route Details

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