Our third day cycling in Malaga was a sunny and enjoyable ride, following a route inspired by a ride suggested by Escapada Cycling. Definitely my favourite ride from our trip to Malaga! The most peaceful and surprising day, with both hills & waves – my soul was very happy during this ride 🙂

The other rides we did from Malaga were to Puerto del Leon (see here) and Almogia (see here).

Route in a nutshell

Distance: 57 km | Elevation gain: 760 m (max elevation 600 m)

Route: Malaga – Benagalbón – Cerro Vallejo – Moclinejo – Rincón de la Victoria – Malaga

Malaga → Benagalbón

From Malaga city center we started with an easy ride along the coastline, enjoying the waves and the palm trees. At the beginning there is a good cycling path, followed by a more gravel-ish section next to the sea.

The feeling of riding my bike while being so close to the waves – priceless ❤

After leaving Malaga, the way to Benagalbón was very popular for road cycling – we saw many grupettos and even a full peloton on the way.

Benagalbón → Cerro Vallejo

From Benagalbón we started the climb to Cerro Vallejo. A beautiful climb, super lonely, with lovely views, through orchards of olive trees … a pure joy to ride! At first, the gradients were mellow, getting more and more difficult as we were heading towards Cerro Vallejo.

Cerro Vallejo → Moclinejo

The next section was with rolling hills and so many blossomed trees 🌸 The road was in a secluded area, without any towns nor cars. There were some gravel sections, some super tough gradients … but it was totally worth it! Super peaceful, no other people around, it felt like we had the entire hills only for us.

Then, the mighty descent started.

Moclinejo → Malaga

And it went on and on! A beautiful and winding descent!

As soon as we got to the coast, we got back to Malaga on the same way as before. Now the sun was closer to sunset, so the views were even more beautiful. And the waves, oh the waves …

We ended the ride with a sugary treat and a coffee at Bun & Coffee, where we had the most delicious doughnuts we’ve ever had! And they let us bring our bikes inside! The perfect stop for a sugary refill 😉

The bike

I rode a lovely rusty-red Basso Astra Disc 45. The bike was brand new, so I had the privilege to show it for the first time the hills of Malaga ❤

The bike was rented from Eat Sleep Cycle Malaga. We knew about Eat Sleep Cycle before, as we also rented bikes from their store in Girona.

If you are curious what rides we did in Spain, you can check it out here – Spain cycling adventures.

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Malaga offers plenty of opportunities to have a good meal after the ride – we chose to enjoy traditional tapas at El Pimpi.

One more note: if you enjoy combining cycling holidays with a bit of art, Malaga is a great place, as it is the birthplace of Picasso. There are plenty of opportunities to discover Picasso during an after-ride walk through the city 

Have you ever been cycling in Malaga? What rides would you recommend in Costa del Sol?

‘Till next time … happy riding!

Georgiana