I rip round a corner, feathering the brakes to avoid a loose stone, and a dust cloud kicks up behind me. Up ahead, the white road stretches into the distance, the rolling hills are dotted with olive trees, and I’m just eight kilometres from the world-famous Vázquez de Molina Square in the cobbled plaza that doubles up as the finish line of my ride.
It’s reminiscent of the finale of Strade Bianche, Italy’s much-loved one-day race in early March, but that’s not where I’m riding. I’m actually 1,350km west of Tuscany, in Spain’s largest region, Andalusia, where the beautiful walled city of Úbeda awaits me. The stunning old city is the end point of the Clásica Jaén Paraíso Interior, a shortened version of which I’ve come to ride after it was recommended to me in exalted tones by those who know the area.
It was in 2022 that this part-gravel race made its debut on the elite men’s cycling calendar, and already it’s
