Puertomingalvo Pass

Yes, friends of Giving It All, today we present a Señor Puerto, the ascent to the mythical town of Puertomingalvo in Teruel from Villahermosa del Río in Castellón, two communities united by almost 12Km of a beautiful road that leaves no one indifferent who cycles it.

As can be seen in the profile, it is an imposing pass, with good mileage and an average slope, clearly divided into 3 sections. A hard start, a more bearable central part (although not easy) and a very demanding last section
The port begins just before accessing the picturesque town of Villahermosa, and in what way, the first 3.3km are very hard and constant, with an average gradient of 7.2% and several double-digit ramps... town and all its accesses by a perfectly paved road... height is gained very quickly and the town is left behind on the right hand side while good views of the port of San Bartolomé are contemplated on the left hand side; in turn, the Hermitage of Sant Antoni watches us (momentarily) from above... we may not realize it, but the wear and tear of this section may end up paying later, even if we do not anticipate events

Of course, suddenly the road smooths out and we enter a small flat area. It is the only rest of the port, although it is true that it is the prelude to the smoothest section, about 4.5Km where the average will not exceed 4.7%, but beware, there are also 9% ramps, here we never stop climbing.
For years this more bearable section had an added difficulty, which was the terrible state of the surface until reaching the province of Teruel, with holes and a lot of gravel. However, everything has been paved so now you can enjoy the climb more... and the descent, which we will talk about the descent later. Here the views to the left continue to improve, and you begin to notice a change in the vegetation, the pines are less and less Aleppo pines and more firs, we move away from the Mediterranean vertically, it is what it has to exceed 1000 meters above sea level... It is an area with a lot of shade, a joy.

From the cyclist point of view, this section can be done at a higher speed and thus raise the average, however, we must take into account what is coming, the third section... which begins right on the border with Teruel. A green plaque and a change of asphalt for the worse (although passable) welcomes us to the most interesting part of the climb... not that the percentages are hellish, in fact the average slope of these last 3.8km is 7.1 %, but it is very constant, there are also many double-digit ramps, the accumulated wear and tear already weighs down, and any hint of shade disappears... they are not particularly hot lands, but in summer the sun is equally strong and it is something to have into account too. There is no visual reference from the top to the 1km sign to the town, it is hard to imagine the cyclists of yesteryear without GPS or hardly any references, how long it would take them

The port ends not in the town but in the hermitage of Santa Bárbara, about 400 meters before Puertomingalvo, a good place to take photos and take a break before continuing the route or relax in this magical enclave.

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