This is a very popular ride along the wide, unsurfaced track of a disused railway line. We do the downhill version of this route, making it an easy ride, suitable for families and leisure cyclists. The route meanders through valleys, olive groves, forests and along flowing rivers. You will pass through 30 tunnels (the longest is nearly 1km in length) and over 4 viaducts. Ride past a vulture colony, high up on the cliffs, and pop into the visitor centre to watch the “vulture-cam”. This route is self-guided; we drive you to the start point at the old station building in Olvera (approx 45 minutes from Ronda) and the minibus meets you in Puerto Serrano to bring you back to Ronda.
Posted By : Nic B
Due to the weather Wayne contacted us to delay the ride by 1 hour, which worked well as we missed the rain. The ride was easy and it was great to be out in the countryside away from the crowds. The Via el Verde was picturesque with views of the countryside. The bikes were well equipped and the bike lights helped with the longer tunnels.
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Posted On : 2024-05-06 04:45:34 
Posted By : A2807KGthomast
Fabulous cycle with brilliant views. It was great to cycle along the Via Verde and not have to worry about vehicles. It was fun to cycle over all the bridges and through the tunnels along the route! It was particularly helpful that the hire bikes had lights fitted for going through the longer tunnels. The hire bikes were first class - brakes and gears all worked perfectly as they should and Wayne was very helpful with the set up. He even provided us with panniers for my backpack which was welcome in the heat! Overall excellent service from Heather and Wayne from booking to end of trip.
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Posted On : 2024-03-18 13:40:30
Posted By : Curmudgeony
Great cycle through the picturesque rural landscape and tunnels. Much appreciated the great service from Heather, Wayne and Lee.
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Posted On : 2023-11-21 15:13:16
Posted By : mfm2905
Great bike tour with breathtaking views, mostly downhill, great restaurant at the end, very safe and well-maintained bikes, overwhelming service (to and from the hotel) and nice company from Wayne.
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Posted On : 2023-11-20 05:53:14
Posted By : scottdR332KW
This is worth doing - views were awesome and the ride was easy and pleasant. Lee was great as well, 5 stars for all the communication and logistics.
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Posted On : 2023-10-28 00:08:00
Posted By : 4evaLuv-Holidays
We took the tour as a small group mostly aged 60+ (and none of us are “everyday riders”), but we found it very enjoyable and comfortably achievable to meet our informative guide and the designated meeting point in the given time (3.5hrs).
Lee explained everything we needed to know about the route and the bikes. Pickup was punctual and the bikes /helmets were in excellent condition.
The many tunnels could be a challenge until your eyes adjust, but the automatic lighting helped. The tunnels were exciting!
The scenery was wonderful, just as we imagined. (Would love to have had a chance for a photo of the pretty white village we passed just before the ride started.)
Toilet stop and cafe open at roughly halfway point.
It is definitely mostly downhill (gently), with only one sharp and short rise at the end, (which was explained to us by Lee).
NOTE: 5ft1” rider was provided with a perfectly suitable bike.
We can recommend Via Verde de La Sierra with Lee and Heather.
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Posted On : 2023-05-17 07:59:35
Posted By : ReneVague3
We had a group of 6 with one senior under 5'3" and another under 5'2" and the tour operator was only able to provide one bike sufficiently small enough for them to ride safely. This meant one member of our group had to sit out the activity with the guide at the end of the trail. No replacement bike was available and no refund or apology were offered.
The path itself is unpaved, littered with potholes and stones protruding out of the ground. This is especially dangerous in the numerous unlit and partially lit tunnels where it is impossible to see the trail obstacles. Avoiding oncoming cyclists means going towards the edges where the path dissolves into treacherous gutters. One member nearly wiped out this way. It could have been avoided had the bikes been equipped with lights like the other cyclists on the trail had.
Most importantly, the description given says the riding is easy and mostly downhill, which is simply not true. I was stunned that a trail with multiple uphill sections so high I had to get off and walk the bike was listed as easy. I only counted about 3 substantial downhills lasting several seconds out of a 3.5 hour ride. It was all my group could talk about for days as we continued to experience pain from the seats over a week later. Despite their padded covers, they were very hard. I even had cramping and bleeding due to the roughness of the ride, a first for me despite having done cycling tours before in Paris, Munich, and Turku.
All of us noticed that the other cyclists on the trail were wearing technical gear and were not wearing jeans like us tourists, another indicator of who this trail is actually for. We had spoken with a different bike rental place at the beginning to see if they could get us a smaller bike - they couldn't as they did not do one way rides, and our tour guide was understandably not going to assist with that either. I spoke with another guide who was not from Hike + Bike the Sierras as we set off, and now I know why he sounded so surprised we were going to attempt the full 36 km/22 miles. He kindly provided us with a paper map marking waypoints, bathrooms, road crossings, and restaurant locations since our own guide did not.
This tour operator also has some issues with the TripAdvisor form as none of the information I sent about group heights or hotel pickup made it through. Heather did get it cleared up though, and I appreciated her letting us know when they were running late. Hopefully they will change their form to ask for age instead of the entirely unnecessary birthdate. Several members of our group balked at giving out such personally identifiable information for a simple bike tour.
The good:
The scenery is worth 5 stars, as the trail is in a beautiful country area with wildflowers, farms, and spectacular views of the mountains. Even the 45 minute drives from Ronda to Olvera (the trail starting point) and Puerto Serrano (the ending point) back to Ronda were scenic and enjoyable. FYI the van does not have air conditioning despite what the listing says, so you will be uncomfortable temperature wise.
The entire trail is supposed to take 3.5 hours but it took us 3 hours to get to the halfway point where there was cell service. We realized there was no way we were going to make it to the end of the trail so I called our guide Lee to request a closer pickup about a half hour away. Lee mercifully was able to do this and delivered us back to our hotel in Ronda, partially making up for his previous snarkiness.
Overall, if you are used to cycling uphill on a daily basis you will love this ride. But if you are from a flat area like us Floridians, forget this tour and do a hike in Ronda instead. Your bottom will thank you for it.
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Posted On : 2023-05-01 11:23:02
Posted By : Debbie S
Beautiful countryside and interesting ride through many tunnels. Lee was very helpful and the bikes where well cared for and easy to ride. Would definitely recommend it. By the way. It’s mostly down hill.
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Posted On : 2023-04-22 16:28:37
Posted By : Sightsee428929
Everything went as planned, on time, perfect service! Our kids (11 and 14) loved this activity as a daytrip from Ronda.
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Posted On : 2023-04-16 08:40:27
Posted By : julie292019
My husband and I had a great time riding with Wayne! We aren't so experienced but Wayne let us set the pace and paused whenever we needed. The path was easy to follow and the bikes and helmets were in great condition. We got to see Spain in a way we never would have hiking or driving. Highly recommend.
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Posted On : 2023-03-29 07:34:28
