Agost calls itself the pottery-town. They even have a museum dedicated to it. And not all the “pottery” is small scale and there are quite few factories that manufacture bricks, some of which end up here in Gran Alacant.
You can reach the Maigmo from 2 directions. From San Vicent de Raspeig or from Agost. From San Vicente side you get a couple of ramps with gradient of ~10% but from there it looks like you are climbing a mountain. The steep rocky mountainside is on your left side all the way to the top.
The road from Agost is gentler. The CV-827 doesn’t have really steep ramps but it is 8km of steady draggy but very scenic curvy road all the way up. The road is very popular among cyclists and motorcyclists. So there will few “motos” flying past you on the road. The road is marked as a cycling route for the weekends so there aren’t many cars. From the top you can speed back to San Vicente or you can turn back and enjoy the curves and the views followed by a coffee stop in Agost. Usually we ride to Agost through Verdegas and then return through Orito. So there are a few route-options to choose from.
The climb from Agost is frequently used in bike races. Our group was there recently for the “Vuelta de Comunidad Valenciana” to watch the professionals take it on. It seems that our group was faster since we were at the finishing line in Alicante to watch the pros sprint for the win. Or maybe we took a short-cut.
If you are interested in hiking or mountain biking in the area there is “Via Verde” on the side of the CV-827. Via Verde is a old rail-road track (without the rails these days) which has been made into cycle or footpath. There are couple of tunnels on the Via Verde so one might be interested in having a look at them.
Whole ride https://www.strava.com/activities/2201149688 Verdegas – Agost – Maigmo – Agost
Whole ride through San Vicent de Raspeig https://www.strava.com/activities/1584029051
Distance for the full route approx. 95km depending on the route. Moving time approx. 4 hours.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard (hard for the length of the ride and the climb from San Vicente – side)
Route: Bacarot – Verdegas – Agost – Maigmo – Agost – Orito – Gran Alacant
You can find several weekly rides from facebook group or you can post in search for company or route. “Gran Alacant Road Cyclist (Bici Gran Alacant)” and local bike shop For Riders have events on their facebook page.
Few things to keep in mind:
- Always have something to drink with you and for a bit longer rides maybe a banana or mueslibar
- Always have a little money if you need to stop to buy food or drink.
- Take the phone with you.
- And the most important. Wave to the fellow – cyclists
