Top 7 Mountain Passes around Cortes De Arenoso

Long climb but very beautiful

Mountain pass located northeast of the town of Linares, where it winds through the Alto d'Erizosa and Cespedosa.

Yes, friends of Giving It All, today we present a Señor Puerto, the ascent to the mythical town of Puertomingalvo in Teruel from Villahermosa del Río in Castellón, two communities united by almost 12Km of a beautiful road that leaves no one indifferent who cycles it. As can be seen in the profile, it is an imposing pass, with good mileage and an average slope, clearly divided into 3 sections. A hard start, a more bearable central part (although not easy) and a very demanding last section The port begins just before accessing the picturesque town of Villahermosa, and in what way, the first 3.3km are very hard and constant, with an average gradient of 7.2% and several double-digit ramps... town and all its accesses by a perfectly paved road... height is gained very quickly and the town is left behind on the right hand side while good views of the port of San Bartolomé are contemplated on the left hand side; in turn, the Hermitage of Sant Antoni watches us (momentarily) from above... we may not realize it, but the wear and tear of this section may end up paying later, even if we do not anticipate events Of course, suddenly the road smooths out and we enter a small flat area. It is the only rest of the port, although it is true that it is the prelude to the smoothest section, about 4.5Km where the average will not exceed 4.7%, but beware, there are also 9% ramps, here we never stop climbing. For years this more bearable section had an added difficulty, which was the terrible state of the surface until reaching the province of Teruel, with holes and a lot of gravel. However, everything has been paved so now you can enjoy the climb more... and the descent, which we will talk about the descent later. Here the views to the left continue to improve, and you begin to notice a change in the vegetation, the pines are less and less Aleppo pines and more firs, we move away from the Mediterranean vertically, it is what it has to exceed 1000 meters above sea level... It is an area with a lot of shade, a joy. From the cyclist point of view, this section can be done at a higher speed and thus raise the average, however, we must take into account what is coming, the third section... which begins right on the border with Teruel. A green plaque and a change of asphalt for the worse (although passable) welcomes us to the most interesting part of the climb... not that the percentages are hellish, in fact the average slope of these last 3.8km is 7.1 %, but it is very constant, there are also many double-digit ramps, the accumulated wear and tear already weighs down, and any hint of shade disappears... they are not particularly hot lands, but in summer the sun is equally strong and it is something to have into account too. There is no visual reference from the top to the 1km sign to the town, it is hard to imagine the cyclists of yesteryear without GPS or hardly any references, how long it would take them The port ends not in the town but in the hermitage of Santa Bárbara, about 400 meters before Puertomingalvo, a good place to take photos and take a break before continuing the route or relax in this magical enclave. https://www.dandolotodo09.com/2018/07/puertos-puertomingalvo-por-villahermosa.html

Yet another port in the confines of the province of Castellón. Although the ascent to Loma el Zorro begins at the Rodeche River on the border between Teruel and Castellón, we have not yet been able to take "in situ" data of the long version (approx. 8.5 km). So today we present the short west slope that begins in the town of Cortes de Arenoso, on the Balseta bridge. As soon as you leave the town, the road gets steep and does not stop until it reaches the brown plaque located at 1,103 meters above sea level. Very constant port of ramps that reach a maximum of 7%. Wide, well-paved road with open, bare landscapes. On the way to the top we find two accesses to the hermitage of San Cristóbal, yes, they are not paved and are more recommended for visits by mountain bike. Let's go with the data of the rise. https://www.dandolotodo09.com/2020/04/puertos-loma-el-zorro-por-cortes-de.html

Second ascent in the area of Caserío de Los Molares, on the inhospitable and deserted road that joins the towns of Montanejos and Cortes de Arenoso. It could have been included as an extension of the Puerto de los Molares, but there is a considerable drop between these two climbs that makes it inadvisable. After overcoming the dilapidated Caserío de Los Molares, this ascent of less than 2 kilometers begins whose summit slightly exceeds the Puerto de los Molares in altitude. Narrow and quite broken road that winds through a very dense forest area. Abundant shade, non-existent road traffic even in August. There is a maximum ramp at 13% but very short. After crowning there is a viewpoint to the left towards the Puebla de Arenoso reservoir, the Castle and Mount Santa Bárbara. It is not recommended to travel this path in reverse with the road bike, there are many holes.

Los Molares pass, one of the hardest in the Montanejos area, as it shows an APM hardness coefficient of 85 points. Normally we cycle through the stages and after a short time, with the data collected, we carry out the altimetry and the record. In this case, 4 years have passed between data collection and office work, that is what confinement has, in the absence of pedaling, we can use the abundant data that we have collected in the last 12 years. Let's go with the details of the Puerto de los Molares, a single slope ascent that takes you towards the limit of the province of Castellón, towards the area of the town of Cortes de Arenoso along a quite hidden road. We leave Montanejos towards Cortes de Arenoso along the CV-20 road, and immediately turn right towards the CV-195, crossing the Mijares bridge. The ascent begins smoothly and with good asphalt on the road that leads to Zucaina, but that joy only lasts 1 kilometer. We turn left and we get into a totally different ascent. Narrow and somewhat bumpy road, in a very leafy forest that shelters but prevents seeing landscapes. The next 4 kilometers are not excessively hard, finding some isolated ramp at 9%. A pity about the leafiness of the forest because it is intuited that with a more open landscape there would be beautiful views of the nearby Arenoso reservoir. At kilometer 5 we find an important turning point, marked by the crossing to the Shooting Range and the Canadian pass. After that point comes a descent of half a kilometer that does not bode well. That's right, the hardness of the pass is concentrated after the descent, in the last 2 kilometers. It is the area of the last 4 horseshoes, very constant, all the time above 7-8% and with punctual ramps at 10-11-12%. The final bulletin. The last 500 meters soften. After crowning and finishing the port, there is a short descent and the ruined village of Los Molares that gives its name to this leafy and generally quite hard ascent. https://www.dandolotodo09.com/2020/04/puertos-los-molares-por-montanejos-apm.html