Group road cycling in Madrid
On the road the meeting point is in Madrid and the ride almost never is. You gather somewhere in the city at an awkward hour, head out together by one of the three or four good exits it has, and what decides whether the day works isn't the climb — it's having found people who ride at your pace.
Which way people head
- Up into the sierra
- The A-6 corridor towards Las Rozas and Galapagar is the classic way out, with Cruz Verde, Alto del León and Navacerrada behind it. These are whole-morning rides, and not ones people do alone for fun.
- El Pardo
- The road through the monte, rolling and with far less traffic than somewhere that close has any right to. The short weekday ride, and where you link up with everything to the north.
- Anillo Verde Ciclista
- Sixty-odd kilometres circling the city on segregated path. Not epic, very useful: you can ride as a group without negotiating traffic and join wherever you live.
- Casa de Campo
- The paved loop inside, with short climbs and no cars. Where the intervals happen when there's no time to leave town, and the easiest meeting point in Madrid to explain.