This circular route will discover you some of the most interesting spots in the Gudar Mountain Range that lie due South-East of Teruel region.

 

Gudar Mountains

 

Gudar mountains are rugged and craggy. This is a sparsly populated region full of tracks ideal for mountain bikers, but to make it easier for travellers with paniers, we have chosen local roads for most of the route that link ancient willages rich in historic detail.

 

Cilck on the map to see the route in Google Earth

 

The area is quiet. For much of the tour, traffic encountered was around one vehicle per hour. Weekend visitors to the area, from cities such as Valencia and Barcelona, increased traffic slightly. More noticeable was the increased demand for accommodation.

The area is hilly but gradients are comfortable. The quiet roads are often narrow but with a reasonable surface.

 

Stage 1

 

 

The route starts in Mora de Rubielos, a nice town that still keeps the layout it had in the middle ages.

From Mora you must head to the north and follow the A-228. The road goes up for 15 kilometers, and as you gain height vegetation changes from a low forest of ilex to much denser pine forest. The climb ends at "San Rafael" pass, at 1560 m of height.

 

In a fast descent you will arrive to the town of "Alcala de la Selva", located in a valley with several poplar plantations. Some touristic complexes have been built in the last years, and even a golf course. Some of the buildig are quite ugly, but most of then are nice and well integrated with the landscape.

 

Following the same road that took us to Alcala, you can go up to the Sky Resort of Valdelinares from the south face, but this is a hard climb, so we took a small road direction to Linares. After reaching the top of a hill, the paved road becomes a dirt track that takes you to a very nice valley.

The track goes up and down between herd of cows. You will find several fences in your way that you must open. Remember fences are there to avoid cattle moving away. These are public paths and there is no problem to cross them, but please, remember to close them again or farmers will end putting padlocks !

This stretch is one of the nicest of all the route, but has also some very steep slopes. Probably you will have to get off your bike a couple of times.

 

When you have almost complete 35 kilometers, you will find yourselve in the top of a hill from which you can see the A-1701. This road will take you in a fast descent to Linares. A nice town in the hills of a mountain with a barroque church and and old castle ruins on top.

 

Going up to the pass of San Rafael		Town of Linares

 

From Linares the road again goes up for about 10 km until you arrive to the town of Valdelinares, that is located 1692m height, being the highest town in the whole Spain. This is the end of the first day.

 

 

Stage 2

 

 

This second stage is very short; barely 40 km.

If you are fit, perhaps you can plan the route in one day and do it without the panieers, but if you must travel to the starting point, and take time to visit the town of Mora de Rubielos, or even the nearby town of Rubielos de Mora, two days will make it better.

 

From Valdelinares town, you must climp to the Sky Resort at 2000m of height. There about 10 km going up, but the gradients are quite constant and they are not hard to make. This north face of the mountain is the easiest one.

At the north face there are almost no trees, and you will be surpised to see how the locals have terraced the hills using stone walls to create some flat surfaces in which they grow forrage for the cattle.

 

From the Ski resort of Valdelinares the road goes down between pine trees to "Alcala de la Selva".

 

Climb to the sky resort		Pine forest in the road to "Alcala de la Selva"

 

From Alcala you have a small climp to the pass of San Rafael, and then goes down for more than 10km in which you don't need to pedal until arriving to Mora de Rubielos where the route was started.