Iberica Traversa Gravel/Trail

The Iberica Traversa Gravel/Trail is a 1,723-kilometre off-road and gravel crossing of the full length of the Iberian Peninsula, travelling from Irun on the Atlantic Basque coast to Tarifa on the Strait of Gibraltar — the southernmost point of continental Europe — with 27,325 metres of cumulative elevation gain. The route was conceived by Andy Buchs of Transbike Adventures as the definitive unsupported crossing of the Iberian Peninsula for adventure cyclists. The course traverses an extraordinary range of terrain and landscape: the Basque mountains and Cantabrian coast, the Picos de Europa, the Castilian meseta, the mountain ranges of the Sistema Central, the Sierra Morena, and finally the dramatic landscapes of Andalusia approaching the African coast. The gravel and trail variant avoids main roads wherever possible, using forest tracks, ancient drove roads known as cañadas reales, mountain pistes, and unpaved routes through national parks and protected natural areas. The 27,325 metres of climbing reflects a route that crosses multiple major mountain ranges rather than finding the flat path across the peninsula. A September start means heat is a dominant factor for the first week in the northern interior and becomes extreme in the Andalusian plains as riders approach the finish. The route ends at Tarifa, the point closest to Africa and historically the crossing point between continents.