Arrival Day
leaving Yorkshire featuring a Polaris Bie Pod rented from All Terrain Cycles
Departed LBA on Ryanair flight – airport really good with easy check in of bike at outsize luggage desk and headed to Airport Lounge for breakfast.
Arrived Alicante 19:00.
Met at airport by Xavier from the Costa Blanca Tourist Board along with one other member of cycling team. Transferred to Gran Sol Y Mar in Calpe.
http://www.granhotelsolymar.com/
Hotel was fantastic and on check in rooms were of a superb standard with plenty of room throughout. Following check in we all met in reception, with the cycling team comprising of:
2 representing the UK (myself and one other gentleman who is a journalist)
3 from the Netherlands, all of whom were cycling journalists
2 from Belgium who work for Thomas Cook
After meet and greets we went through to the conference suite where we were given a presentation on what was to be involved in the next few days. We were given information on the routes and climbs over the course of the three days of cycling and presented with a welcome pack with lots of goodies from the FAM trip sponsors.
Following the presentation we were met by Hector who organised the event and were taken through to dinner which was a fantastic array of tapas starters with buffet for the main course. The food was of a really high standard and plentiful.
Day 1, Miles cycled: 45, Largest climb: 2028ft.
8am
Met up with fellow cyclists in reception and headed to breakfast which was an amazingly presented buffet with every possible breakfast food you can imagine. This was our chance to stock up on energy for the day so we made the most of it.
9am – 1pm
Collected bikes from hotel storage and prepared for the first day of cycling.
Rode into Calpe centre and headed north to Benitachell. From here we headed west to Teulada town and back through Benissa before our first challenge of the trip; the big climb!
We rode an impressive 2028ft uphill and were met by stunning panoramic views across the resort when we got to the top. There was a great sense of achievement between us all as this was our first challenge to get us warmed up.
Following a few photo opportunities we headed back down into Calpe and rode back to the hotel for a freshen up.
2pm
We took the opportunity of having an hour at the hotel to freshen up before heading out for lunch.
We were taken to the AR Diamante Beach & Spa (as featured by Jet2holidays) where we were greeted by the manager and given a tour of the hotel. We had a look at all the room types on offer, as well as the facilities that the hotel have on offer, including the pool areas and health and fitness areas.
After the show round we were taken to the restaurant where we made the most of the delicious buffet that the hotel offer. Another impressive meal!
Following lunch we were met by a representative from the Tourist Board who took us on a walking tour of Calpe and we visited the famous Rock of Ifach, which was a sight to behold! Although we couldn’t get right to the top we headed approximately halfway up and got to see some amazing views. We then headed to the local harbour just as the local fishermen arrived back with their daily trawl. We were lucky enough to see the fish auction in action; extremely fast, but the freshest fish ever!!
We left the harbour and headed along the coastal road back towards the hotel where we took in the sights of various ruins and relics along the way. Our guide was fantastic at giving us information on everything we saw, she was a fountain of knowledge.
We were met by our designated transport and drove to Old Town Calpe where we got to have a look around and soak up the atmosphere, which was a lovely contrast to the newer side of the resort. We visited an old church, which at first didn’t look like it would be anything spectacular, but once inside…wow!
We then began our leisurely walk back to the hotel where we were lucky enough to be given access to all the spa facilities that the hotel have. Needless to say after our first day of cycling and a great amount of walking it was just what we needed.
Later in the evening we all met up again and headed for dinner at the restaurant where another night of fantastic food was available to us. By the end of the meal the day had caught up with us all and so we headed to bed early in preparation for another big day tomorrow.
Day 2, Miles cycled: 55, Total elevation: 5,315ft.
9am-1pm
After another hearty breakfast we departed the hotel for another ride around Calpe. Today the ride consisted of heading on some spectacular hilly roads with tunnels cut into the mountainous landscape to make roads through them. That was pretty awesome! We had a slightly longer ride today, however due to a technical error only half the route recorded!! Technology!!
After the ride we headed back to the hotel to freshen up and to pack up our belongings as it was time to head to the next town of Biar. We packed and loaded our luggage onto the minibus and were taken to a traditional restaurant in the hills where we were treated to a HUGE paella. Yum!
We were then taken to the world famous winery of Enrique Mendoza where we were given a tour of the distillery and the whole production line which is all kept in the same place. After the tour we were invited to sample some of the wine and were guided through each one we tried. Each wine had a suggested accompaniment of either cheese, meat or sweets, and we learned the best way to match these and how to taste wines properly. We were all engrossed in this when a gentleman came out from the back of the area we were and lo and behold it was Mr Mendoza himself! What a honour! We were invited into his house for a look around, and after a little nosey we thanked him for his hospitality as we had to leave for the second part of our drive.
Enrique Mendoza Distillery
We arrived early evening into Biar and were taken to the 4* Villa De Biar. http://www.villadebiarhotel.com/es/index.html
It’s the starting point of the X Marxa Biar cycle race, so our arrival was nothing short of the norm for them. We were shown to our rooms where welcome gifts were laid out for us which was a really nice touch.
Needless to say after a busy day and a lot of wine we were all ready for an early night, so we had a quick dinner in the restaurant before taking ourselves to bed.
Day 3, Miles cycled: 55, Highest climb: 3522ft.
9am
Woke up and headed down for another great buffet breakfast before the toughest day of cycling yet. As we got ready to depart we were lucky enough to be met by the local cycling job who joined us on our ride for the day. It was a great feeling to be riding in a pack! We cycled through the beautiful town of Biar which was breathtakingly beautiful. After a leisurely ride we then stopped at the bottom of what was to be a HUGE climb…all 3522ft of it!!
It was so daunting looking up to where the finish point was, and never did I think we would make it up there. But with a whole load of camaraderie and encouragement from the team we made it!! And boy were the views worth it! The lookout point at the top was stacked with tourists admiring the view, and we took stock of just how far we had cycled to get there. It was a great feeling!! And to make it even more special we were shown a water fountain to fill up our water bottles with water straight from the mountain itself!!
Once we had got our breath back we rode back down the hill and along the mountainous roads of Biar before heading back to the hotel to freshen up and have a well deserved rest.
We then regrouped and headed out to a local restaurant for lunch where we sampled some more fantastic food before a walking tour of the beautiful Biar. We were lucky enough to go to Biar Castle and got to have a look inside before being met by the sight of hundreds of coloured pigeons being released from the castle grounds. A true sight to behold and one I’ll never forget!
To round off an absolutely amazing day we headed to a Confectionery store where we were able to see how the Spanish sweet Turron was made. And in true tourist style we spent a while in the shop stocking up on gifts for back home! We also had a ride through Ibi, known as the Town of Toys, as it’s where historically the Spanish toys were made. Fantastic bit of trivia!!
We then headed back to the hotel and had, what was affectionately referred to, as the Dinner of Champions. Still on a rush from the busy last day we all enjoyed another fantastic meal, and best of all, the first beer of the trip! We all chatted away about how fantastic the trip had been and had a lovely evening.
Following dinner we headed through to the conference area where we were given a presentation from the tourist board thanking us for being there, and to announce the winner of the climb, which was one of my fellow riders from the Netherlands. He was presented with a free holiday where he was to be a guest at a championship cycle race where he would ride in the tour car. Congratulations were passed round, albeit with a slight twinge of jealousy! But we al felt like winners after having the most amazing time.
After this we all felt completely exhausted so retired to our rooms for our last night in resort. Another great night sleep was had before we all met up in the morning for our final breakfast before heading back to the airport.
All in all the FAM trip was an absolutely amazing experience combining both my love of cycling while learning about a new destination, seeing some great hotels and sampling some fantastic food. The whole experience was amazing and big thanks to the Costa Blanca Tourist Board and All Terrain Cycles for making it all possible.