This is a wonderful ride that you must do when you’re near Ronda, by itself a must-do destination in the province of Málaga. It’s one highlight after another, I promise you this loop will not disappoint.
To begin with, you start in the amazing Ronda, a drop-dead gorgeous city steeped in history. After a short urban ride in the outskirts of Ronda, you quickly descend into the valley towards the Embalse de Zahara.
Warming up on the Puerto del Saúco
Instead of following the A-374 to the lake directly, we take the smaller MA-7402 that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere in particular. The second you turn right off the main road, the climb to Puerto del Saúco commences. Without a proper warm up, your legs feel like lead and it’ll feel like you’re riding up La Redoute or the Mur of Huy.
The climb isn’t very long or steep, fortunately. Take it easy, because this is just an amuse-bouche. There’s plenty more of climbing to come. At the summit, you’ll descend slightly into jaw-droppingly beautiful landscape. The green, rolling hills with its many bodegas (wineries) are a sight to behold. Wine lovers will like it here, and a tour of the wineries is a nice way to spend some time in the countryside.
The main event: the magnificent Puerto de las Palomas
After a fast and magnificent descent, the artifical lake of Zahara looms large, and above it, towering on a rock, the equally beautiful village of Zahara de la Sierra. The town also heralds the beginning of the wonderful climb towards Puerto de Las Palomas. This is a jewel of a climb and highly enjoyable.
It’s a steady climb that becomes increasingly more difficult. The many twists and turns, and even a few hairpin corners, are somehow helpful to keep up the morale. The views of the area are unbelievably beautiful, and you’ll want to take pictures at every other corner. The views are unobstructed and you can see the road snaking up along the flanks of the mountain.
I know this is highly subjective, but I’ve found this climb to be way harder than the numbers suggest, for a couple of reasons. First, the road leading up to Zahara de la Sierra goes up ever so slightly at 1-2% for 10km. I find such gradients very annoying and it’s difficult to find a good balance between speed and effort. Also, during the second half of the climb, the gradients often kick up into double digits, to never drop below 6%, forcing you to keep pedaling hard. And pedaling hard you shall until you reach the summit. Finally, I’ve ridden this route a few times now, but only on hot days with temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius. There’s no shade on this side of the climb either, adding a few more points to the difficulty meter.
Flying into Grazalema
A quick descent takes you to picturesque Grazalema, the wettest place in Spain. It’s true, look it up! If it isn’t raining, you can stop by the main square for a coffee, and perhaps a little snack or light lunch before making your way to Ronda.
If your legs can still keep up, you can take a little detour through the valley and through villages like Montejaque and Benaoján. The road is undulating with a few steep ramps, such as the Puerto de la Calerilla:
The descent to Montejaque is lots of fun with great views of the impressive Cerro Tavizna. It is beautiful down here, and if you’re hot, you can go for a quick swim at the popular Cueva del Gato.
Back to Ronda
Upon leaving Benaoján, you climb out of the valley back to Ronda. Usually a few hundred meters of 8-10% isn’t worth mentioning, but at the very end of a hard ride, this is a nasty little climb.
Back in Ronda, go for a quick shower and enjoy this wonderful city. There’s enough to see and do to keep yourself entertained for a few days.