Top 5 Mountain Passes around Serranillos

The Serranillos Pass is one of the most iconic mountain passes in the Sierra de Gredos, famous for its beauty and for being a historic stage in the Vuelta a España (Hinault's legendary stage in 1983). Views of the Cinco Villas Valley and the Gredos peaks. Spectacular scenery throughout the climb. Signage with gradient and remaining distance information. Ideal for linking up with Puerto del Pico, Pedro Bernardo, and Mijares for an epic stage.

The Mijares Pass is one of the great mountain passes in the Sierra de Gredos, highly prized by cyclists for its length, elevation gain, and scenic beauty. Maximum gradient: 11% (on short ramps before Mijares). There are several steep sections in the villages and near the Horcajo area, as well as another one 2 km from the summit.

The Pedro Bernardo Pass is one of the classic climbs in the Sierra de Gredos mountains, highly prized by cyclists and a regular feature of races like the Vuelta a España. First section: Up to the village (Pedro Bernardo), with gradients of 5-6%, a road in good condition, and spectacular views of the Tiétar Valley. Urban section: In the village, the gradient eases, even offering some flatter sections. Second section: After the village, the asphalt becomes rougher, and the toughest kilometer (7-8%) appears, followed by a "balcony" section with incredible views and a sustained 5% gradient to the summit.

You cool down very quickly up here, especially when it's windy.

Highest point 1580 on this route, there is a large parking lot to enjoy the view.

A legendary mountain pass in the Vuelta a España and in the Gredos mountain range, along with Serranillos, Peña Negra, Pedro Bernardo, and Puerto del Pico. It's a namesake of Serranillos, as it connects the same valleys, running parallel. Like Serranillo, it's a pass with a gentle, continuous gradient and uneven, bumpy asphalt, which is typical of this area. A pass of thermal contrasts: in winter, you're freezing cold, and in summer, you can die of heat.

The Puerto de Pedro Bernardo is the younger brother of the Puerto de Serranillos. Almost every time this port has been climbed in a professional race it is linked to the Puerto de Serranillos, only the second being considered a port. However, the Puerto de Pedro Bernardo is in itself a hill where you can go from the valley where the CL-501 road runs (where the town with the same name is located) to the valley of the Puerto de Pico, where Esteban del Valle and Mombeltrán are located. The chain with Serranillos is the most typical, as I said previously, although it is also worth chaining it with the Puerto de la Centenera or the Puerto del Pico. The road is rough, with hardly any shoulder and very little traffic. It is a very pleasant port to climb... as long as the heat is not suffocating.

The Serranillos pass is one of the great classics of the Tour of Spain as it passes through the Sierra de Gredos. As the Vuelta has almost always ended in Madrid, the Gredos and Guadarrama mountain ranges offered very interesting alternatives to trace mountain stages in the last stages. The port of Serranillos is very iconic in the Sierra de Gredos for several reasons: type of port (long and long), rough and irregular road (but in good condition) and dryland landscape with little vegetation (very typical of this inland area of the Iberian Peninsula). The Serranillos port presents many climbing alternatives: - On its eastern side, there are 2 alternatives: from Burgohondo (the classic one, along the main highway AV-913) and from Navalosa along the AV P-419 highway, which joins the previous one in Navarrevisca. - on its west side, is where we will find more alternatives. I have come to count up to 5 alternatives. They are the following: (1) climb through Santa Cruz del Valle, starting from the N-502 and taking the AV p-706 highway, to later reach San Esteban del Valle and from there to the top; (2) leaving Mombeltrán on the AV-922 highway towards San Esteban del Valle and from there to the top; (3) starting from Cuevas del Valle and passing through Villarejo del Valle on the AV P-706 highway, reaching San Esteban del Valle and from there to the top; (4) starting from the N-502, in the middle of the climb to the Pico pass, taking a road that takes us to the Mirador de la Carretera del Sidrillo and to Esteban del Valle, and from there to the top; (5) previously crossing the Pedro Bernardo port on the AV-922 highway Although I have only done alternative 4 on the eastern slope by bike, they are all very similar. The slopes are gentle and the views, as there is little vegetation, cover a lot of territory.