Granada
Mar 28 – Apr 4, 2027 · 8 days
Mar 28 – Apr 4, 2027
8 days
Up to 14 participants
Gravel Cycling
The challenge
The sun drops behind the Alhambra. The old town glows gold. Your bike is tuned, your legs are fresh, and…
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The sun drops behind the Alhambra. The old town glows gold. Your bike is tuned, your legs are fresh, and dinner is on the table. This is where it starts.
I'm Chris Hall. You might know me from @chrishallrides. For years I've shared road and gravel riding with my mates online, and now I want to ride it with you for real. Over seven days in Granada, you'll join a team of riders who love dirt roads and big views as much as I do.
We start soft, with a short loop to shake out the legs. Then it builds. On Day 2 we climb through pine forests in the Sierra de Huétor, 65 km and 1,300 m up, white gravel winding from one viewpoint to the next. A shorter day in the olive groves gives your legs a rest. Then comes the big one: 70 km to Guadix, the town of cave homes carved into clay hills.
The land turns strange and wild out here. We ride the gullies and sandstone near Gorafe, past dolmens that have stood for thousands of years. We roll through dry riverbeds and quiet canyons to the hidden church of San Torcuato, dug deep into the ground.
This is a hard trip. The climbs are long and the days are full. But that is the point. You earn every view.
On the last day, we ride the white villages below the Sierra Nevada. Two worlds meet here, desert and high peaks. You'll remember how still it felt up there.
Apply to join
We read every application. Small group — and I want to get the group right. If this sounds like you, apply below.
Day-by-Day
Day 1
You land in Granada, and I meet you with a quick van ride from the airport. My mechanic tunes your bike while you settle in. Then we roll out for a short warm-up loop, 20 km of gravel and tarmac, 500 m up. As the sun drops, we share dinner in the old town. The Alhambra glows above us.
Day 2
Day 2 is our first big ride. You'll join the team for 65 km of gravel and tarmac, climbing 1,300 m. We wind through pine forests under the Sierra Nevada. Smooth white gravel carries you from one viewpoint to the next. Mountain views wait at every turn. It's hard work, but the peaks make it worth it.
Day 3
Day three is your recovery ride. We head west of Granada, 40 km of gravel and tarmac, with 500 m of climbing. The land shifts here. You will roll past farms, crop fields, and hills full of olive groves. It is a shorter, easier day. We keep the legs fresh before the big one comes. Green hills, quiet roads.
Day 4
Today is the big one. We ride 70 km from Granada to Guadix, climbing 1,400 m over gravel and tarmac. The land shifts as we go. Open plains, strange rock, geology like nowhere else in Spain. Guadix is old, a Roman colony from 45 BC. It holds over 2,000 cave homes, still lived in today.
Day 5
Day 5 is one of my favourites. A short 30-minute transfer brings us to Gorafe, a village of cave houses and over 240 dolmens. Then we ride 55 km with +1,100 m of climbing. You'll roll through towering gullies, sculpted sandstone, and rock in wild colours. Layers of earth, stacked like time itself, all around you.
Day 6
Day 6 is 48 km with +650 m of climb. We ride back into the desert. You'll cross sandy riverbeds and rough gravel tracks. Rugged canyons, carved rock, and wide valleys, all shaped by time. We finish at the Hermitage of San Torcuato, a place cut into the ground. Then you'll transfer to your airport. Cool clay, quiet, and stone.
Day 7
This is our last ride. We roll 45 km to the white villages below the Sierra Nevada. Quiet gravel roads link the desert of the Granada Geopark with peaks above 3,000 m. You'll climb 670 m across two very different worlds. Then we head back to Guadix. One last sky, two landscapes, one team.
Day 8
This is it. The last morning. You will wake, then eat a good breakfast together. After that, a private van takes you to Granada or Málaga Airport. No riding today. Just quiet, tired legs and a head full of Spanish gravel. The desert, the caves, the white villages. All of it, still with you as you go.