Last Saturday, December 16th, Bikefriendly Consulting held a workshop at the Serpis Hostel (L'Orxa, Alicante), as part of the Mancomunitat de L'Alcoià i el Comtat, Territorio Bikefriendly project . The workshop concluded with a bike ride through the area's magnificent natural surroundings. Manolo Gomicia , president of the Mancomunitat, and Mariona Carbonell , its manager, led the workshop, which was also attended by representatives from the municipalities of Alcoi, Cocentaina, L'Orxa, and Banyeres de Mariola.
Similarly, representing the private sector, we were joined by representatives from the accommodations Font del Tarrago (Alfafara) , Aire (Muro de Alcoi) and Riera D´Agres (Agres) , as well as from the cycling services company Spainrider (Alcoi).
The sessions began around 10:30 a.m. in the fireplace room of the Serpis Hostel , in the heart of the El Comtat Mountain Bike Center , with the presentation of the L'Alcoia and El Comtat Commonwealth's project as a Bikefriendly Territory. A brief overview of the latest National Cycling Barometer report was also presented, providing attendees with the most recent socio-demographic data and information on cycling habits at the national level. Following this, we addressed the various aspects of our territorial assessment of the Commonwealth from a cycle tourism perspective. This assessment reveals significant positive findings. The province of Alicante is among the top five destinations for road cyclists , and its inland region is one of the most mountainous in Spain.
The Sierra de la Mariola mountain range crosses the Mancomunitat de L'Alcoia i el Comtat (MAC), and at its two ends, we find two mountain bike centers : one privately managed and the El Comtat MTB Center, managed by the public administration. The latter is also part of the Vía Verde del Serpis, currently undergoing renovation, which connects Alcoi with the coastal town of Gandia through the Comtat region. Furthermore, two stages of the renowned Camino del Cid pass through this area, while EuroVelo , the most important cycling route in Europe , runs very close to the MAC territory. This, combined with excellent connections to nearby airports, good road networks, its diverse geography, and resources for many other sports, makes the Mancomunitat de L'Alcoia i el Comtat a potential Bike-Friendly Territory.
After the coffee break, we moved from theory to practice, and thanks to the great work of Xavi Pérez and Jordi Climent , from the company Spainrider SL (Alcoi) , all the attendees enjoyed a pleasant e-bike ride along a section of the aforementioned Serpis Greenway , one of the great treasures of the territory.
