Alto de Velefique (AL-3102)

A remote Almería climb of nearly thirty stacked hairpins, nicknamed the Spanish Stelvio, rising through bare sierra to almost 1,800 metres.

Climbing out of the village of Velefique toward Bacares, the AL-3102 throws down close to thirty hairpins as it claws up the Sierra de los Filabres to a pass near 1,790 metres. The tarmac is generally smooth and the road is lightly trafficked, so it has become a draw for drivers and cyclists chasing switchbacks without the alpine crowds. The landscape is stark and sun-baked, with heat shimmer off the asphalt in summer and the very real chance of snow and ice closing the top in winter. Gradients touch around 17 percent on the steeper ramps. Mind ramps near 17 percent on tight hairpins, intense summer heat with little shade, and winter snow or ice at the summit.