Tag Archives: Cycling

Cycling Tours, Guided Tours, Nature, Ronda, Sierra de Grazalema, Tourism

Cycling from Ronda and around the Serrania

The Ronda area is, without doubt, a cyclists delight and can be challenging at times! In fact the areas around Ronda and the sierra de Grazalema  are well known and a popular training destination for proffessional cyclist wintercamps preparing for long distance road races and triathlons. so lets take a look at Cycling from Ronda and around the Serrania

For those of us who are’t so competetive  there a choice of route lengths from 30km to 100km some of them being relatively easy to complete for regular cyclist. (like myself :) ) Keep reading for more information about who you should contact to get the best out of cycling and mountain biking in the Ronda area.

Regardless of the route you choose you are absolutely certain to enjoy the spectacular views. The serrania of Ronda and the sierra of Grazalema is amazingly diverse  with it’s river basins and valleys, rocky mountains, and long stretches of flat windy roads. The white picturesque villages blend in to the environment perfectly and are great places to stop for a well earned rest!

Look up as you ride and you’ll see vultures, eagles, and other birds of prey and check out the slopes for mountain goats and deer.  Almost every turn in the road presents vistas that will take your breath away and the springtime roadside wild flowers are stunning.

From Ronda, some  shorter day  rides will take you to Arriate on a loop that is only 30km, or if you have the energy, take a longer ride to Setenil and Acinipo.

E-Bike – Acinipo and Setenil Circular Guided Cycling

Fancy visiting Acinipo by bike? A cycling journey through history. An undulating mountain loop from Ronda up into the hills and the Roman remains of Acinipo. Continue riding down to the ancient riverside “cavehouses” of Setenil de las Bodegas and then back up to Ronda. Quiet roads with long ascents and descents.

Ronda cycling with hike and bike

Professional cyclists should attempt the ride to Grazalema and then across the mountain top to Zahara de la Sierra via the puerto de las palomas (doves gateway), or the breathtaking route to Gaucin, perhaps with a detour to Genalguacil.

Here are a few of the most popular routes to take a note of to ask about for when you are in the bike hire shop…(see at the bottom for a list of companies that hire bikes or organise cycling holidays in the Ronda area.)

1. Arriate
2. Setenil-Cuevas del Becerro
3. Faraján-Cartajima in the Genal Valley
4. El Burgo through the Sierra de las Nieves
5. Benaoján-Atajate
6. Acinipo-Setenil

For Mountain bike enthsiasts these routes (13-40km) are fun;
1. Pilar de Coca
2. Puente de la Ventilla
3. Parchite & Arriate
4. Genal Valley or the Guardiaro River
5. Lifa and El Burgo

Finally, professional cyclists should ask about longer road routes (30-144km);
1. Setenil-Cuevas del Becerro
2. Faraján-Cartajima
3. El Burgo-Ardales-El Chorro
4. Acinipo-Setenil
5. Zahara-Palomaspas-Grazalema
6. Grazalema-Ubrique-El Colmenar
7. Benaoján-Atajate
8. Atejate-Algatocín-Jimena de la Frontera

Cycling the Via Verde de la Sierra with Hike and Bike

Where to get more information and hire your bikes?

Hike and Bike is a company run by local guides Heather and Wayne and they specialise in hiking and biking they are based in Ronda and are specialist providers of cycling holidays, cycling tours tours, day trips and bike rental.

On their guided holidays and day trips, the guides are with you every step of the way. You will never lose your path or waste precious holiday time trying to find the best trails.

For the self guided tours you travel at your own pace with one of the preloaded Garmin GPS devices. Simply follow the Garmin route, supported with our bespoke maps, to experience the most charming sights and sounds of rural Spain.

Find out more about Hike and Bike on their website here.

Cycle Ronda  Can hire you a bike on a daily basis and recommend the best routes to suit your level of fitmess. They also organise fully supported bespoke cycling holidays based in Ronda or on an inn to inn basic… What a great way to see the area staying in a different hotel each night with your bags delivered for you whilst you enjoy the ride, the challenge and the scenery!

All you need to organise your cycling in Ronda is on their website here.

Happy Cycling!

Sport

Bjorn Heidenstrom in Ronda

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The 28th November 2009 was an exciting day for the under thirteen Union Deportivo Ronda football team as they were treated to a visit by Bjorn Heidenstrom, former Norwegian International and first division football player who is cycling from Norway to South Africa collecting signed football shirts, and raising awareness for the world’s 45 million refugees.

Bjorn has been cycling for six months already, and arrived in Ronda at 10am after a grueling cycle up the San Pedro highway from Marbella. He certainly lived up the nickname “Crazy Norwegian”. His day in Ronda is part of an extended trip that sees him cycle to Córdoba, then Madrid, and Barcelona before catching a ferry to Italy, the Balkan nations, Greece, Turkey, and Syria.

A decision then needs to be made on the route Bjorn will take cycling to Egypt before cyclng to Cape Town via Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, and the Southern African countries. Bjorn is hoping to be in Johannesburg in May. Then he and some volunteers will stitch all of the shirts collected together into a single large flag that FIFA and the South African Football Association have agreed will be flown at the opening game of the Soccer World Cup in June 2010.

Bjorn Collecting Ronda Football Shirts
Bjorn Collecting Ronda Football Shirts

Football shirts collected from CD Ronda and UD Ronda will be amongst the other many hundreds of signed football shirts, including those from FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, FC Valencia, Manchester United, Liverpool FC, Dynamo Moscow, and many more top teams yet to be visited.

Refugees are one of the world’s greatest tragedies, and are a group of people with the least ability to represent themselves, with the overwhelming majority forced into camps for displaced people, or taken into care by charitable groups. Refugees don’t have the ability to work to make a living, they aren’t able to provide for their families, and they exist in a sort of half legal half outcast situation.

Ronda Today is proud to be one of the many supporters and sponsors of Bjorn Heidenstrom as he cycles from Norway to South Africa to give the world’s many refugees a voice. His approach is proving successful, over 50 million people have watched Bjorn’s travels on television or in his YouTube channel, and sponsors are lining up to offer funds to the Refugee Council and UNHCR.

With Bjorn’s enthusiasm and our support we can make a difference, and we can put the plight of refugees firmly where it belongs, in the news and in front of prime ministers and presidents of the world’s family of nations.

Bjorn Heidenstrom at Hotel Ronda
Bjorn Heidenstrom at Hotel Ronda

Bjorn would like to thank Carlos Mirasol García, councillor for sport for his active encouragement and allowing Bjorn to meet the future football stars of Ronda, Hotel Ronda for providing Bjorn with a room and hot shower for the night, Bar La Bola on Carrera Espinel for graciously providing Bjorn with lunch, Restaurant El Predicatorio for graciously providing Bjorn with breakfast. Charlotte Wilmot and Alonso Jiménez González were invaluable friends who worked tirelessly to ensure Bjorn’s trip to Ronda was a success. Thank you all.

So, what happens now? Bjorn is on his way, and the plight of refugees could be forgotten now that we’ve had our fun. But Ronda Today cannot let this happen. We’ll be following Bjorn’s travels as he makes his way to South Africa, and we’ll be helping to organise workshops and fund raising activities to let Bjorn and the Refugee Council know that Rondeños want to help make a difference. Please join us. Send us an email (admin@rondatoday.com) and tell us if you can help Bjorn collect signed football shirts, or if you’d like write Bjorn a message of support.

We’re not asking for money, we’ll find sponsors for that, what we are asking for is your good wishes. You can read about Bjorn’s travels directly on his website, theshirt2010.net, or follow him on Twitter, @heidenstrom.

Here’s a selection of photos taken of Bjorn in Ronda.

Canal Charry Interview with Bjorn in Ronda