Gravel through the hills of Alcalá and the Henares countryside

A short loop through the countryside east of Madrid, starting in Alcalá de Henares, which has Cercanías trains and parking. It crosses the Henares and climbs towards the hills south of the city. From there it follows farm tracks to Los Santos de la Humosa, Santorcaz and Anchuelo, and returns via Villalbilla. It's almost all dirt track between cereal fields and olive groves, with the odd short ramp on the climb to the hills and at the edge of the Alcarria plateau. There is water and there are bars in the villages and nothing in between. It's good in autumn, winter and spring. In summer it's very hot and there is no shade. After days of rain the clay mud sticks and gets heavy. A great first gravel ride if you're leaving Madrid by train.

Track designed by our editorial team on OpenStreetMap (ODbL).