The grey, cold and slightly bleak weather has got us thinking and longing for some sun.
In December we were lucky to spend some quality time on the Costa Blanca alongide much of the world tour peloton and staying alongside Ineos Grenadiers and Visma LAB. The sun shone, the roads were smooth, tan lines were formed and life was good. However, since then we have not seen the sun nor felt any warmth of note.
Do not be mistaken, we love Christmas and spending time with those we love. Furthermore, cycling over the Christmas period was quite fun, with quiet roads and a feeling that the excessive eating had been marginally earned. However, now that period is done - we are over it and we know seek warmth vicariously from those who are lucky enough to be on the roads of Spain or cruising in the Aussie sunshine.
So, it got us thinking - how can we avoid this again......... well organise more trips of course!!
Where to go in Winter?
Were your budget limitless and time not an issue, then would head straight for Adelaide - watch some cricket, enjoy the Adelaide hills cycling and then stay on for the Tour down Under.
However, in the real world, money can be tight this time of year and time off work harder to come by. So with this in mind we had some other ideas.
Our favourite option would be the Costa Blanca. There are a plethora of cheap flight options and a number of places to stay, furthermore, you are guaranteed to see a great number of the worlds best bike riders and many team cars.
Calpe - loads of cyclists, very reasonable hotels and good routes once out of town
Javea - beautiful beach front, small hotels and nice lettings
Denia - very nice hotels, great routes and fabulous cafe's and restaurants
Oliva - premium hotel, great relaxation and some of the quietest roads with not a traffic light in sight.
If this does not sound like your vibe, then we would also suggest the Algarve in Portugal. This region has some wonderful cycling, with quiet roads and terrain to suit all levels and ambitions.
Tavira in the east of the region is a beautiful fishing village and within just a few kilometres you can be on quiet roads where you can enjoy the sunshine whilst getting some high quality cycling in your legs.
further to the west in Lagos you can get far more metres of ascent on the wild Atlantic coast, the Serra de Monchique has some challenging climbs that will certainly test your winter form.
What we have planned
For 2025 we will be heading back to the Oliva Nova resort in early December, hopefully with another pro team or two. We will also launch a trip for January 2026 to Denia at a slightly lower cost for those wanting some winter sun and longer miles in the legs.
For more details head to www.sportabikeplus.com/decemberescape
To conclude, we will not be going so long without some vitamin D in 2025!!
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