Segovia and Navacerrada Pass
3 passes in 180 km, topping out at 1340 m
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Why this ride
A rider’s loop: clean exit, memorable middle, calm return. Out of Madrid and back again: 180 km, roughly 3 h 16 in the saddle. On the way it passes Segovia and Navacerrada. The highest point is about 1,350 m.
Roadbook
- Madrid
start
Madrid sits higher than any other capital in the European Union, around six hundred and fifty metres above the sea, on a dry plateau with the Sierra de Guadarrama as a blue-white wall to the north. That height explains the light, which is hard and clear, and the winters, which can be sharp, and the habit of the place, which is to stay up very late. The city was a modest town until 1561, when Philip II moved his court here, more or less because it was in the middle of Spain, and it has been the capital ever since. Everything grand about the centre, the palace, the Plaza Mayor and the Prado, grew out of that decision.
The Royal Palace, on the western edge of the old town, is a vast block of white stone and granite begun in the 1730s on the site of a burned fortress, and the square in front looks across a gardened slope toward the Casa de Campo, a former royal hunting ground that is now an enormous park. Walk a few minutes east and the Plaza Mayor, with its red arcades, is the place for a coffee and a bocadillo de calamares, the fried squid sandwich that is the city's cheerful signature. The Retiro park and the Prado museum lie farther along, and a day in them is a good use of a rest day.
Riding out of the capital is easier than it looks. The M-30 ring road and the radial motorways are fast and well signed, and the traffic, though thick, moves. Low-emission zones restrict older vehicles in the centre, so check the current rules and do not assume a bike is exempt. Once past the northern suburbs the land rises toward the sierra and the roads begin to bend, through holm oak and granite boulders, with mountain passes like Navacerrada and Cotos within an hour or so. Weekends are crowded with other riders, so weekdays or early starts help.
Fuel is no concern in a city of three million, and the centre has bars on every corner. Madrileños eat late, with lunch around two and dinner after nine, and the best cheap breakfast is chocolate con churros, thick hot chocolate with fried dough, at one of the old churrerías. In summer the afternoon heat is fierce, and the streets are empty between three and six, then fill again as the shadows lengthen. The smell of the city is hot pavement, coffee and, after a thunderstorm, wet dust.
- Segovia
sight
Nobody forgets their first sight of the aqueduct. Coming into Segovia, the road suddenly opens onto the Plaza del Azoguejo, and there it is, a double row of granite arches striding across the square, nearly thirty metres high at its tallest point, built by the Romans around two thousand years ago without a trace of mortar. It carried water from the Sierra de Guadarrama into the city for centuries, and it still stands, perfectly balanced, one of the most impressive Roman monuments anywhere.
Segovia has much more than the aqueduct. The old town, a World Heritage Site, sits on a rocky ridge between two rivers, and at its western tip the Alcázar, a castle with slender towers and conical slate roofs, rises above the confluence like a ship's prow. In 1474 Isabella of Castile was proclaimed queen in Segovia, beginning a reign that would unite Spain and change the world. The late Gothic cathedral, one of the last built in Spain, dominates the main square with its golden stone.
Segovia is famous for its roast suckling pig, cochinillo asado, so tender that waiters traditionally cut it with the edge of a plate before smashing the plate on the floor. It is rich, heavy and delicious, and probably best enjoyed at the end of the day rather than in the middle of a ride. The town is full of restaurants serving it, along with other Castilian specialities like roast lamb and judiones, large white beans stewed with pork.
The ride to Segovia from Madrid crosses the Sierra de Guadarrama, either through the motorway tunnel or over one of the mountain passes, such as the Puerto de Navacerrada, with its winding climb through pine forests. The descent towards Segovia passes the royal palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, with its Versailles-inspired gardens and fountains. Segovia has fuel and all services, but the old town has narrow, cobbled streets with restricted access, so it is best to park outside and walk in. Winters can be cold, with snow on the mountains; summers are warm but cooler than Madrid.
- Navacerrada
food
The village of Navacerrada sits at the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama, about fifty kilometres north-west of Madrid, and it takes its name from the pass that looms above it. The Puerto de Navacerrada, at 1,858 metres, is one of the classic mountain passes of central Spain, and on any sunny weekend it draws riders from Madrid in large numbers. The village is where many of them stop for breakfast or lunch before or after the climb.
The village itself is pleasant, with a square, granite houses and a slightly alpine feel, surrounded by pine forests and meadows. Below it, the Navacerrada reservoir reflects the mountains, and in the evenings the light on the granite peaks turns gold and pink. The bars and restaurants serve hearty mountain food, roast meats, stews and plenty of coffee, and on weekends the terraces are full of leather jackets and helmets.
The road from Navacerrada to the pass climbs through pine forests in a series of bends, with views back over the plains towards Madrid. At the top, there is a small ski resort, and in winter the pass can be closed by snow, or chains can be required. From the top, the road descends north towards Segovia and La Granja, with more bends and fine views over the plains of Castile. Another road leads from the pass to the Puerto de Cotos and the Lozoya valley, a beautiful high valley with forests and rivers.
Be aware that these roads are very popular, and on weekends they are full of motorcyclists, cyclists and day-trippers, and there are frequent police controls. The surface is generally good, but there can be gravel, especially after winter. The village has limited fuel options; Cercedilla and Collado Villalba nearby have more. April, May, September and October are kindest, mild and usually clear. In summer, the mountains offer a cool escape from the heat of Madrid, but the roads are at their busiest.
- Madrid finish