Mitic Bikepacking

Mitic Bikepacking is a non-stop, semi self-supported loop. It leaves the old bed of the Turia river beside Valencia's City of Arts and Sciences, climbs inland to the summit of Pico Javalambre in Teruel and comes back down to the Mediterranean at Las Arenas beach. There is no ranking. A live tracker records your time and medals mark gold, silver and bronze finishing windows, but the organisers are clear that finishing, self-sufficiency and companionship on the road matter more than arriving first.

The route is built on contrasts: from the crowded coast and the towns of the Turia valley, through Alcublas and Abejuela, into some of the emptiest uplands in Spain. Visit Valencia points out that Cervantes used the Javalambre range as a real geographic reference in Don Quixote. The return leg runs through Jérica and the Sierra Calderona, passing the Carthusian monastery of Porta Coeli. Most of the way is on dirt tracks, and the organisers leave the choice between a gravel bike and a mountain bike to you.

It is one of three routes run by Bikepacking Experience, together with Quixote Bikepacking and La Conquista Bikepacking. Riders who finish all three earn a Triple Corona trophy that cannot be bought. You can ride solo, as a pair or team that must finish together, or as a relay, with staffed controls, round-the-clock feed points and bike shops spaced along the route.