Cabrita Gravel

Cabrita Gravel is a self-supported loop of Fuerteventura put on by the small Randopacking team. There is no ranking and no prize for the fastest: you ride your own pace from checkpoint to checkpoint with a brevet card in your pocket, and riding together in small groups is part of the spirit.

The route leaves the fishing village of El Cotillo along the sandy, volcanic tracks of the north coast, runs down the east side through Corralejo, Puerto del Rosario and Pozo Negro, and heads out to the wild beaches of Jandía and Cofete and the lighthouse at the island's southern tip. Fast gravel roads alternate with sand and short stretches of singletrack, and the wind is a constant companion.

The finish comes back past the whale skeleton in El Cotillo, where beer and paella wait for finishers. Fuerteventura has been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2009, and this is a slow, personal way to see why.