Alto de Aitana
A long Hors Catégorie climb from Sella and one of the most important summit finishes of the Vuelta a España 2026.
- Length
- 21.5 km
- Elevation Gain
- 1,268 m
- Average Gradient
- 5.9%
- Difficulty
- Hors Catégorie
Community recommendation
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Alto de Aitana is one of the route’s true heavyweight climbs. From Sella, it runs for 21.5 kilometres and gains 1,268 metres. The average gradient sits below six percent, but the length and total elevation make it a serious mountain objective.
For cyclists visiting the Costa Blanca, this is the climb that turns a coastal trip into a proper mountain day. It has the Vuelta feeling of a road that looks steady on paper, then slowly asks more and more from the legs.
How to ride it
Start from Sella and treat the climb as a long endurance effort.
Pace the first half carefully, because the total gain is significant.
Carry enough food and water before committing to the climb.
Where to stay
Alicante, Benidorm and inland Costa Blanca towns can all work depending on the kind of trip you want. Sella is the logical climb anchor if you want the simplest access.
Practical tips
Heat can make this climb much harder than the profile suggests.
Do not rely only on the average gradient when judging difficulty.
Check road access and summit conditions before riding.
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