Simon Warren joins the BikeRadar Podcast for a whistlestop tour of Spain’s best cycling climbs

By George Scott

Published: Monday, 25 September 2023 at 15:00 PM


Every year, the Vuelta a España shines a light on the diverse terrain found in Spain – with the country’s climbs taking centre stage.

“The Vuelta is all about crazy mountaintop finishes, sometimes as many as eight per race, and each year it seems to find more outlandish roads up which to send the peloton,” writes Simon Warren, author of the book, 100 Great Cycling Climbs of Spain.

Indeed, Spain is the focus of the latest book in Simon’s 100 Climbs series, which started by showcasing the best ascents in the UK, before moving on to France, Italy, Belgium and more in a series now spanning 14 books.

The latest book covers climbs across seven chapters: Mallorca, Northern Spain, Cataluña, Valencia, Sistema Central, Andalucia and the Canary Islands.

“In the 12 years I’ve been making these guides, I’ve never been more excited to release a book,” continues Simon.

“There are so many amazing roads in here, so many classic ascents that will delight, amaze and, at times, outright terrify you.

“In previous books, I have usually singled out one climb that stands above all others and rewarded it with a Spinal Tap-esque 11/10, but in this book there are THREE! That’s right, three, roads so off the charts that you simply have to see them to believe them.”

For the latest episode of the BikeRadar Podcast, Simon picks out six must-ride climbs from the 100 found in his book.

From the highest road in Europe to detours to Mallorca and the Canary Islands, the author takes listeners on a whistlestop tour of Spain’s greatest ascents.