Region: Spain
Climbing effort: 706 cep
Elevation meters: 764
Steepest kilometer: 12.3%

Steepest 250 m: 16%
Foot: 477 m    Top: 1215 m
Mean slope: 7.0%
Length: 10.6 km

From: Villanueva de la Concepción
Road conditions (2019): good
Other race bikers: 0-1 per hour
Motor vehicles: 60-180 per hour
Scenery and road: (4/5)
Restaurant or bar near top: yes

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Other climbs Spain

Just south of Antequera lies the Torcal de Antequera, a steep limestone mountain, the highest part of which is a karst landscape. Because the rocks here have all kinds of fantastic shapes, the Torcal is a tourist attraction. The mountain is also an attraction for cyclists, not just because of the rock formations but also thanks to the views and the steepness of the road. The climb from the south starts about a kilometer east of Villanueva de Concepción at the bridge over the Rio de Campanillas. The last few hundred meters before the center of Villanueva are awfully steep (a 250-meter section of 16%). Beyond the village the road winds itself further up the mountain. One wonders whether it would have been possible to construct a somewhat less steep road here. From kilometers 1 until kilometers 4, the average slope measures 10.7%. Then the road bends to the right and makes a kind of traverse, which is much easier (2-6%) than the section before. At a bifurcation the main road runs straight on towards Antequera. That seemed an attractive option to me but my wife really wanted to bend sharp left and to continue towards the top, despite the 20 kilos of luggage that we each had on our bikes. So we turned left but we soon regretted that decision because an awfully steep kilometer (11.5%) appeared. Fortunately near the finish at the visitor center we were rewarded by a beautiful view in a southerly direction and by the landscape forms around the road.