This morning I drove to Cerceda to start my ride to La Bola del Mundo, the ascent of which I would start in Guadarrama, that way there are about 12 kilometers to warm up your legs before you start climbing.
As you can see from the GPS profile, it is a long climb, just under 22 kilometers with the last 3 being by far the most difficult part of the day, climbing on a cemented track which is very rough and steep. I chose to ride this route on a mountain bike as I had walked it previously and knew the bad condition of the road. Today I only saw one person who had climbed it on a road bike, but it is not something I would recommend, the weight of the bike might be an advantage going up but disc brakes are definitely an advantage coming down.
This is the most difficult climb I have ridden in the Madrid area and I would recommend that you walk it before you decide to ride it or at least watch the video below so you know what to expect before you get there. I think there were a few people today who started the last part of this climb but did not finish because it was a lot more than they expected.
That is a ridiculous climb! I did it last year to watch the Vuelta stage on a road bike, and wished I'd had a mountain bike.
ResponderEliminarBTW, I came across your blog via the Best of Madrid link; I'm an American who visits Madrid for business occasionally and I love to ride in the mountains when I'm here.
Hi Kendall, Let me know when you're in Madrid and we'll go for a ride if it's possible.
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