Dobby and Butt's in Spain

Pedro Dobson en Benidorm.

Most of you know that for the last few years Pete Dobson has departed with missus and motorhome in September for warmer climes and has returned in the spring. He usually stops in South West France near Caussade where he is friendly with the local club and then goes on to Benidorm on the Costa Blanca, where he stays all winter, returning in late April in time to marshall in the Aughton R.R. 

  I flew out of Liverpool on a damp November day on a weeks recce to see Pete and to suss out what it was like for riding out there in case any one else fancies it – the things I do for the Lune! I flew into a warm and sunny Alicante where Pete picked me up with his transport and dropped me off at my hotel in Benidorm.

  I hired a reasonable bike from Marco Polo Cycles in Avenida Europa (Free phone 900 506 811 or 96 586 33 99, they speak good English) which is at the East end of the prom, they also run MTB excursions up in the hills behind Benidorm. 

  Pete’s site is located in Avenida Doctor Severo Ochoa which is a 5 minute ride from the prom. My initial impressions was that this was a very big and busy town with lots of traffic; I would hate to be there in the peak summer season. But despite being out of the main holiday season most places were open. The palm lined  promenade is very long – around  6 kms and is mainly traffic free and immaculate.  The best area to stay is on or just off the Playa Levante as this is close to where Pete’s group meet of a morning and also close to his camp site. 

  The first morning I rode to where the meeting place was on the prom, arriving about 8.50. By 9 there was a group of around a dozen and we set off absolutely on the stroke of 9 towards Altea – a little to the East of Benidorm. Most of the group were vets of different nationalities but with quite a few Belgians and Dutch and some of these had impressive palmares having ridden for pro teams. The pace was steady but not slow and given the nature of the hills on the coast road,the average of about 16 mph was quite impressive. Just as impressive was the way the group looked out for newcomers like me – waiting at junctions in small towns when the group was split by traffic lights and giving a welcome push when struggling to stay in contact on the hills. That first morning we rode a circuit which went inland from Altea and then swung down to the coast at Calpi for a quick café con leche – none of the Lune 40 minute plus brew stops here, it was order, drink, pay and go all in about 15 minutes! It was lovely and warm all week and we were always able to sit outside. Then it was a tempo ride back to base for about 1pm with a good 50  miles covered

  This was to be the pattern on subsequent days. The group meets every day, though the members vary; most go out about 4 times a week. Leadership was informal but it was not unusual to find out in conversation from the other riders that so and so had ridden the Tour at least once in his career! The numbers tended to vary but there were usually at least ten out. In the spring the size and speed grows so an A and B group come into existence.

  The best ride I did was up to a hilltop village called Guardalest.  We rode out through orange and lemon groves.  Having inquired from Pete about the route I was told it ‘was a bit of a drag which kicks up at the end’. It sure did ‘kick up at the end’! Coming round a bend Pete said ‘don’t look up now’, which I promptly did, to spy our destination seemingly poised atop some cliffs and at a height of around 1500 feet- and this was just in the foothills! After the traditional stop it was an extremely fast run back down to the coast and a welcome cup of English tea served up by Eilleen, Pete’s missus.

  So what are the minuses and plusses of Benidorm as a base? Firstly its very hilly and the coast road is busy. Once into the hinterland however there is little traffic, but as with much of Spain the mountains come almost right down to the coast so be prepared for some climbing. There is not a net work of lanes so the number of different routes are limited compared with home or Majorca . On the positive side the weather is usually glorious – shorts and s/s jersey with arm warmers most days. It is dry too and as the group goes out everyday there is no need to ride on the occasional wet day. There is lots of accommodation: you can rent an apartment with 2 bedrooms and a large sitting room and kitchen for about £100 per week and there is a plethora of restaurants. If you go on your own as I did, a 4 * hotel with excellent half board is about £30 per night. There is a ready made group to ride with who, because they spend most winters out there, know the roads very well. Finally there is a large selection of flights to Alicante , I paid about £60 return.

  I’ll probably go out again this winter for a week or so, hopefully in a fitter state than I was last November, if anyone else is interested let me know, I’ve plenty of info and since I am in contact with Pete whilst he is out there I can pass his contact details on to interested parties.

                             Adios, John Butler.

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