The Cueva Negra del Bosque lies about five and a half kilometres from Alpera, on the high plateau where La Mancha begins to fold into the hills of Valencia, and it is one of the painted shelters of the district. It carries rock art in the Levantine tradition, protected by UNESCO as part of the rock art of the Mediterranean basin in Spain, and the ride links it with the Abric de Lambert, a site far to the east. Alpera is the best known name of the area, because of the Cueva de la Vieja, but there are other shelters scattered in the limestone gullies.
The wine of the district is a pleasure of its own. The plateau around Almansa and Alpera has its own appellation, and the local reds, made from the dark, deep-coloured garnacha tintorera grape, are strong and fruity. Vineyards stretch across the flat land in low bush vines, not trained on wires, and in October the leaves turn red and gold. Almond trees blossom in February.
It is a land of big skies. The plateau is high and open, with a scatter of pines, and the wind is a constant companion. Winters are cold and frosty, and summers dry and hot, with a harsh, bright light that bleaches the stone. In spring, the cereal fields are a startling green.
The ride is pleasant and unhurried. Roads run across the plain in long straights and then drop into a gorge or climb to a ridge with a flurry of bends. Surfaces are generally good, but patchy on minor lanes. The wind can be strong enough to push a bike sideways on exposed stretches, so keep a firm hold. Alpera, with a little over two thousand people, has fuel and bars, and Ayora, about seventeen kilometres away, with just over five thousand five hundred, is bigger. Carcelén and Alatoz are small and quiet, but have a coffee on offer. Bring water in summer, because there is little shade.