Velefique & Collado del Ramal

This route stitches the iconic Alto de Velefique together with the much lesser-known Collado del Ramal. On its own, Velefique is one of the great climbs of southern Spain. The Ramal adds a short, savagely steep coda on the way back that turns an already good ride into a genuinely tough one.

The ride starts in the unlikely setting of the Oasys Hollywood theme park car park, just off the motorway at Tabernas. From the moment you clip in, the road tilts upwards. The first 20 to 30 kilometers are a deceptively easy drag through the empty, lunar landscape of the Tabernas desert - never steep enough to hurt, but you’re climbing the whole time.

Alto de Velefique

After that long warm-up, the road sharpens into the proper climb of the Alto de Velefique. The hardest bits come early: long relentless stretches hovering around 9%, with ramps to 14-15% kicking up in the corners. The gradient softens as you climb, and the iconic hairpins come towards the top, where the views over the desert finally open up properly.

Once over the summit, you get your first proper reward: a fast, technical descent down the back side towards Bácares. It’s not long, but it’s a fun, twisty road and a welcome break for the legs. Bácares is the natural stopping point - there’s a small café in the village where you can grab a coffee, a sandwich, refill bottles, and brace yourself. Do not skip this stop. What comes next is brutal.

Collado del Ramal

Out of Bácares, the road immediately ramps up into the Collado del Ramal. The numbers tell you everything you need to know: 5 km at 9.6% average, ramps touching 23%, and a single kilometer averaging 12.8%.

This is a desert climb in the truest sense. There are some trees, but not enough to give you any real shelter, and rarely a breeze to speak of. For much of the year the sun absolutely hammers you, and there is nowhere to hide. By the time you crest what looks like the top, you discover that - of course - the road keeps climbing. It’s not steep at that point, but after what your legs have just gone through, “not steep” still feels like a punishment.

At this stage you have around 50 kilometers of climbing in your legs. The good news is you’re done going up.

Going bigger: add Calar Alto

If you’ve still got something left, the road from the Ramal area can take you toward Calar Alto, the other monumental climb of the Tabernas desert. The detour adds roughly 40 km and another 400 m of climbing, and rejoins this route in the town of Gérgal. It’s a serious undertaking on top of an already serious day. If you fancy it, read up on the Calar Alto climb first.

The descent home

From the summit, the road plunges down fast. Once you hit Gérgal, it eases into a gentle downhill all the way back towards Tabernas. This is the part where you finally get to enjoy yourself. The Mediterranean opens up below you, and if you glance to the southwest, the Sierra Nevada sits on the horizon, potentially still snowcapped well into spring.

The final stretch follows a service road that runs alongside the A-92 motorway. It’s a touch sketchy in places - the surface is patchy and the proximity to the motorway is never glamorous - but it’s downhill all the way back to the Oasys Hollywood car park.

Fueling

This is a serious day out in a remote desert. Plan accordingly.

• Start/finish: the Oasys Hollywood car park is right next to the park entrance and the motorway services at Tabernas - last chance to stock up.
• Velefique: the village has a small bar near the municipal pool, but don’t count on it.
• Bácares: the café here is the only realistic mid-ride refuel point. Use it.
• Fuente at the Calar Alto junction: there’s a drinking fountain near the point where the road branches off toward Calar Alto - handy for topping up bottles.
• Fuente on the descent: a second fuente sits near the picnic area further down the way home.

Carry more water than you think you need. In summer this loop is genuinely dangerous in the heat - go early, or don’t go.

And after the ride?

If you’ve got anything left in the tank - or better, a non-cycling partner waiting - Oasys Hollywood itself is genuinely worth a visit. It’s part Wild West film set, part zoo, part small amusement park, and a strange but brilliant way to round off a day in the desert.