Severn Cycleworks CC Granada Adventure
Each year the club goes away for a cycling holiday. The rules are simple, we don't go to somewhere every other cyclist goes, and we never do the same location twice. Last year was Foix, before that Ronda (I know it's also Andalucía, but Granada is far enough away to be different).
With each year the size of the group grows as word spreads. This year saw nine of us travel, most of whom seem like seasoned veterans having attended previous trips.
Each trip now has a specially designed tour cycling jersey. This year's takes the design of the regular blue club jersey, but swaps colour to Spanish red with yellow highlights on the front to mimic the Spanish flag, coupled with the Andalucian coat of arms on the back pocket.
Granada does not ease cyclists in gently. The city sits below the Sierra Nevada, with roads that rise almost as soon as the last traffic lights fade behind you. For Severn Cycleworks CC, that was the point.
This five-day club trip brought together everything that makes riding abroad so memorable: warm roads, long climbs, big views, shared effort, café stops, and the kind of tired legs that make dinner taste better. With three days set aside for riding in the mountains around Granada, the plan was simple. Arrive, ride well, look after each other, and come home with stories.
Why Granada worked so well for a club cycling trip
Granada has the right mix for a short riding break. It is a proper city, full of character, but the mountains are close enough that a group can roll out from base and be climbing within minutes. That makes each day feel efficient. No long transfers. No wasted time. Just breakfast, kit on, bikes out, and up.
The riding around Granada rewards patience. The gradients can bite, especially when the road kicks up through the lower villages, but the climbs also settle into long, steady sections where a group can find a rhythm. Stronger riders can stretch their legs. Others can ride within themselves. Everyone regroups at sensible points.
That matters on a club trip. A good cycling holiday is not only about the fittest rider getting a perfect week. It is about the whole group getting the best out of the route, the weather, and each other.
Granada also gives riders a rare combination:
Big mountain terrain without needing a full alpine expedition.
Quiet roads once clear of the city edge.
Reliable climbing in almost every direction.
Good food and coffee when the ride is done.
A lively base for evenings off the bike.
For a five-day trip, that balance is hard to beat.
Day one was for travel, bikes, and finding the rhythm
The first day of any overseas cycling trip is rarely glamorous. It is all about getting there, keeping kit together, building bikes, checking nothing has been lost in transit, and making sure everyone is ready for the first proper ride.
For Severn Cycleworks CC, day one set the tone. Bike boxes were opened, heads scratched, derailleurs checked, tyres inflated, and the small but vital jobs ticked off one by one. Seat posts went back to tape marks. The faint call of "Aleeeex" could be heard. A quick bit of busman's holiday dealt with, the bikes were ready.
There is always a quiet nervous energy before the first ride. Everyone wants the bike to feel right. No one wants a rubbing disc rotor or a slipping seat post halfway up a climb. Those little checks make the next three days far smoother. That said, a swift 100m bounce over the Albaicin cobbles, a quick tweak here and there, and we were sorted.
The first evening also gave the group time to settle into Granada. A short walk through the city, a meal, and an early look at the hills helped turn the trip from an idea into something real. The mountains were no longer a line on a route file. They were right there, rising above the rooftops.
The first mountain ride was about control
The first riding day is where enthusiasm can get expensive. Fresh legs, smooth roads, blue sky, and a group of club riders are a dangerous mix. Go too hard too soon, and the final hour becomes a negotiation with your own quads.
So the first mountain ride was about control. The group rolled out steadily, used the early kilometres to warm up, and let the road set the pace. Granada’s surrounding climbs do not need much help. They ask questions quickly enough.
Once the city loosened its grip, the ride began to open out. The roads lifted through dry hillsides, olive groves, small settlements, and wide views back towards Granada. The first climb totalled 17 miles, but with a sympathetic gradient, there was no struggle and we took in the views before the first descent to one of many stunning reservoirs.
Cafe stop at the next village, and a good chance to catch up on what we'd achieved. As it turned out, this would be our only cafe stop and the chance to enjoy a nice lunch was gone. Onto the next climb, followed by one of the best descents weaving our way down the mountain on a smooth and empty road to Cacin. As the Siesta loomed for the locals, we swarmed into the local mini-mart to grab some lunch supplies.
Lunch consumed, it was time for a brutal climb out of the stunning valley. The descent back towards Granada brought its own focus: smooth braking, clear calls, space between wheels, and no heroics. Mountain descents are fun, but they reward calm riding more than drama.
Once back into the hubbub of Granada, restaurant booked, kit into the wash, cheeky beer and time to relax before bed.
The second ride brought the big day feeling
Every trip has one ride that feels like the centrepiece. It does not always have to be the longest on paper. Sometimes it is the one with the most climbing, the best views, the hardest weather, or the moment where the group realises it has properly arrived.
The second mountain day had that feeling.
With one ride already in the legs, the group knew what to expect from the roads and the heat. Bottles were filled properly. Food was planned with more respect. Nobody needed reminding that long climbs feel different when the sun is high and the café is still some way off.
This ride started off with gentle gradients, before a sturdy kick up to Niguelas, followed by some speedy descending for almost 7 miles. Time to regroup at the Rio Izbar Dam, a few photos, and then the next climb to yet another stunning viewpoint, or as we learned to call them, Miradors.
Riders kept an eye on one another. Regroups came before anyone was completely cooked. Descents were taken with care. Stops were not treated as weakness, but as part of making the day work.
The reward was the kind of riding that stays in the mind: open slopes, distant peaks, warm air, the sound of freehubs on descents, and the shared silence that comes when everyone is working at their limit.
With open cafes at a premium, we stopped for some tostados and a chance to refill the bottles, with one last climb before the roll back into Granada and evening antics.
Dinner after a ride like that is different. No one needs to oversell the day. The empty plates, tired faces, and repeated retelling of the hardest sections do enough.
The final ride brought the longest climb, and the biggest scenery
By the third riding day, legs had lost some snap. That did not make the ride less worthwhile. In many ways, the final mountain ride is the most satisfying part of a short trip. There is no need to prove anything. The group knows the roads better, knows the pace better, and knows how to get through the day together.
The aim was to enjoy the last chance to ride out from Granada and make the most of the mountains without turning the trip into a survival exercise. A slightly shorter route can be the right call at this point, but where is the fun in that? This would be our longest day so far.
It was time to ride some roads being used by La Vuelta in a couple of days time, to the point where we navigated a road closure due to a late notice bit of re-surfacing. Finally, we reached the Puerto De Los Blancares. No more big climbs. Onto another reservoir, more photos, lunch, followed by some of the biggest scenery we've ever seen.
Given the day of climbing we'd had, this meant one thing, descending. Lots of it. No steep slopes here, but miles of gentle downward sloping gradient and into Granada one last time. Time to pack up before the last night out.
The off-bike time mattered too
A good club trip needs more than routes. It needs time together when nobody is staring at a stem.
Granada gave the group plenty to enjoy once the bikes were back inside. Evenings were a chance to recover properly, walk through the city, find food, and talk through the day’s riding in the way cyclists always do. Climbs became steeper in the telling. Descents became faster. The rider who claimed to be “taking it easy” was gently challenged by anyone who had followed their wheel.
That social side is a huge part of why trips like this work. On local rides, people often head home as soon as the ride ends. Away from home, there is time to sit, laugh, and get to know clubmates better.
It also builds trust on the road. Riding in the mountains asks more of a group than a flat Sunday spin. People need to communicate, wait at the right points, share tools, and make sensible calls. The better the group feels off the bike, the better it tends to ride on it.
What the trip taught the group
A five-day trip with three mountain rides is short enough to fit around work and life, but long enough to feel like a proper escape. It also teaches a few useful lessons for the next club adventure.
Pacing beats bravado
Granada’s climbs reward steady riding. Going hard on every early ramp might feel good for ten minutes, but it rarely helps the group. The best days came when riders respected the route and saved something for the final hour.
Food and drink need a plan
Mountain roads can leave long gaps between stops. Everyone needs to start eating before hunger arrives and keep drinking before the heat becomes a problem. A couple of bars in a pocket can change the whole mood of a ride.
Mechanical checks are worth the time
A loose bolt or tired tyre is annoying at home. In the mountains, it can derail the day. The boring jobs before ride one are part of the adventure, even if nobody photographs them.
Regroups keep the day positive
Different climbing speeds are normal. Clear regroup points let everyone ride at a suitable pace without splitting the trip into separate rides. It keeps the club feeling like a club.
Short trips still need recovery
Three rides in three days can feel manageable on paper. Add climbing, heat, travel, and late meals, and recovery matters. Sleep, food, stretching, and an easier final route all help.
Why trips like this stay with a club
The details of a route can blur. After a few weeks, riders may forget exactly which climb hurt most or where the group stopped to refill bottles. What remains is the feeling of the trip.
There is the first sight of the mountains from the city. The nervous laugh before the first climb. The quiet patch when everyone is tired. The relief of reaching a summit together. The descent that makes the effort worthwhile. The meal where nobody needs to explain why they are hungry.
For Severn Cycleworks CC, Granada offered the right setting for all of that. It gave the group challenging riding without losing the fun. It gave strong riders room to push and steady riders space to enjoy the mountains at their own pace. It gave everyone enough climbing to feel proud of the week.
A club adventure does not need to be complicated. Choose a place with good roads, plan routes that suit the group, look after one another, and leave enough time to enjoy where you are. Granada did the rest.
The takeaway from five days in Granada
The Severn Cycleworks CC Granada trip showed how much can fit into a short cycling break. Five days was enough for travel, three proper mountain rides, relaxed evenings, and a final pack-down with tired legs and full hearts.
The mountains around Granada are not background scenery. They shape the whole experience. They decide the pace, test the group, and provide the memories that come home in bike boxes along with dusty tyres and used kit.
For a cycling club looking for a compact but rewarding overseas adventure, Granada makes a strong case. Ride steady, pack well, respect the climbs, and share the work. The best part is not just reaching the top. It is getting there together.
As for next year, who knows where we'll end up. In an ever changing world, will we stick to the same format of five days away, with three riding days? Who knows, but there's a never ending list of amazing places to ride in Europe, and not enough time to explore them all. We'll give it a damn good go, though.
Alex
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