Top 7 gravel routes within 60km of Madrid

You don't need a van, a week off, or a flight to Girona. You need a good gravel bike, an early start, and to know where to go. Here are seven routes worth your Sunday.

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1. Puerto de la Morcuera — the benchmark

62km · 1,400m · Hard

Every Madrid gravel rider has done La Morcuera. It's the reference point — the climb you do when you want to know where you stand. The approach from Rascafría is long and forgiving. The last four kilometres are not.

The descent towards Miraflores is one of the best in the sierra — wide gravel, good surface, views that make you forget you're an hour from the M-30. Stop at Bar El Cruce in Rascafría before or after. They don't know what a flat white is and that's exactly the point.

Best time: April to June, September to November. Avoid July and August.

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2. La Pedriza circuit — the technical one

38km · 900m · Moderate

La Pedriza is granite country. The landscape looks Patagonian — enormous rock formations, narrow paths, river crossings if you time it wrong. The circuit from Manzanares el Real is short but dense. Every kilometre asks something of you.

This is where Madrid's gravel community comes to ride technical terrain without travelling far. On a Saturday morning, you'll share the trailhead with twenty other cyclists who all pretend they found it independently.

Take wide tyres. 40mm minimum. The surface rewards it.

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3. Embalse de Valmayor loop — the social ride

45km · 600m · Easy

Not every Sunday needs to be an event. The Valmayor loop is flat, fast, and well-surfaced — the kind of route you do when you want to ride with someone who's coming back from an injury, or when you simply want coffee before noon.

The reservoir is beautiful in early morning light. The café in Valdemorillo opens at 7:30. That's all the argument you need.

The go-to for group rides. Expect company.

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4. Puerto de Canencia — the hidden one

55km · 1,200m · Hard

Canencia is La Morcuera's quieter neighbour. Same elevation, fewer riders, worse road — which means better gravel. The approach from El Molar on the northern side passes through villages that don't appear on most maps.

The col itself at 1,511m gives you a view of the entire sierra on a clear day. Bring a wind layer. It earns its altitude.

Combine with La Morcuera for a full sierra day: 95km, 2,200m. Bring food.

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5. Soto del Real to Buitrago — the long flat

70km · 500m · Easy

This one breaks the pattern. No big climb, no technical terrain — just a long, quiet corridor through the Lozoya valley on roads that feel forgotten. The kind of ride where you talk the whole way and arrive without knowing how you got there.

Buitrago del Lozoya is a medieval walled village with a bar that serves the best tortilla within sixty kilometres of Madrid. This is a fact that cannot be disputed.

Perfect for bikepacking overnights. The campsite near the reservoir is open May through October.

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6. Navacerrada to Segovia — the classic

58km · 1,100m · Moderate

Cross the sierra and end up in a different world. The approach to Puerto de Navacerrada on gravel from the Madrid side takes forty-five minutes of honest climbing. The descent to Segovia on the other side is all tarmac and panorama.

Take the train back from Segovia. Have cochinillo for lunch. This is not a diet ride.

Check train schedules before you leave. The last train on Sundays is earlier than you think.

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7. El Pardo forest loop — the city escape

32km · 300m · Easy

When you have ninety minutes and a full week of meetings ahead of you, El Pardo is the answer. Royal hunting grounds turned public forest, fifteen minutes from the city centre by bike. The gravel paths through the forest are wide, well-maintained, and almost entirely flat.

This is the route that converts road cyclists. They come for a quick spin, they leave wondering why they ever cared about tarmac.

Go early on weekdays. On weekend mornings it's shared with runners and dog walkers. Still worth it.

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One thing to remember

The Sierra de Guadarrama rewards early starts. Whatever route you choose, be at the trailhead before 8am in summer, before 9am in spring and autumn. The light is better, the roads are empty, and you'll be back in time for a second coffee before the city wakes up.

The bar in Rascafría opens at 7:30. That's not a coincidence.

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All routes are available on the Ravito map with GPX files and recommended café stops.