Bola del Mundo (Collado Villalba) Cycling Climb

Spain Bola del Mundo (Collado Villalba)

Bola del Mundo (Collado Villalba) Bike Climb - PJAMM Cycling

27.6

PDI

13.4 mi

DISTANCE

4,472 ft

GAINED

ELEVATION GAINED

6.3 %

AVG. GRADE

AVG. GRADIENT

FULL CLIMB STATS

Page Contributor(s): Jose Jiminez, Spain; Jerry Root, Utah

INTRO

Bola del Mundo - "the ball of the world" - is the highest point in the Sierra de Guadarrama reachable by paved road, and this route climbs to it from Collado Villalba on the northwestern edge of metropolitan Madrid. The full climb runs 21.6 km (13.4 mi), gaining 1,363 m (4,472 ft) at a 6.3% average grade to the summit at 2,256 m (7,403 ft), where a cluster of military and broadcast antennas gives the peak its name. The climb has two very different halves. The first roughly 18 km up to Puerto de Navacerrada, a historic pass connecting Madrid and Segovia, is a normal (if busy) mountain road. Past the pass, the final push to Bola del Mundo turns onto a narrow service road that's gated and closed to cars, climbing the last few kilometers on rough, patched concrete at grades that spike well into double digits. The Vuelta a España has finished here three times - 2010, 2012, and 2025 - each time on this same brutal closing stretch. As longtime contributor Jerry Root (Utah) put it after riding it: the last five or so kilometers are "one of the hardest climbs I've ever done" - not because of the grade alone, but because the crumbling, pothole-scarred concrete surface makes it as much a test of bike-handling as fitness. (More on the surface and the gate you'll need to pass through is in the Roadway & Parking tab.)

PLAN YOUR ROUTE

We've partnered with Sherpa-Map.com to bring you the best route planning tool. With a PRO Membership you can use this climb as a reference when creating your route.

The climb to Bola del Mundo from Collado Villalba covers 21.6 km (13.4 mi) and gains 1,363 m (4,472 ft) at a 6.3% average grade, finishing at 2,256 m (7,403 ft). The lower two-thirds up to Puerto de Navacerrada are a steady, moderate mountain grade with a few short pitches. Past the pass, the final closed-to-cars stretch to the antennas is far steeper and rougher, with the steepest continuous mile averaging 12.8% and the steepest kilometer averaging 13.2% - both concentrated in this last section, where sustained grades run into the high teens on broken pavement.

Roadway: The main M601 from Collado Villalba is paved and in decent shape, but the final approach to Bola del Mundo past Puerto de Navacerrada is a different story - a narrow service road with crumbling, patched concrete, small breaks, and a few real potholes for the last 5 km or so. It's rideable, but demands full attention on the way up and even more on the way down. Traffic: The M601 has a decent striped bike lane but carries fast, heavy weekend traffic out of Madrid - riding it on a weekday morning is a much better experience. A quieter alternative is to start in Guadarrama and climb the M614 instead, far less traveled, which joins the M601 at a clearly-marked roundabout below the pass. Once you're through the gate above Puerto de Navacerrada, there's no car traffic at all since the road is closed to vehicles. Parking: Puerto de Navacerrada itself, with its ski-area parking lot, is a natural staging point if you'd rather skip the lower approach roads and just ride the closing stretch. From the ski area lot, head right and then take a quick left onto the rocky access road toward the gate - the gate is kept unlocked, and passing through it marks the start of the steep final section to the antennas.

Bring a bike you're comfortable descending on rough pavement with - the broken concrete near the top rewards wider tires and good brakes over a pure race setup. There's nothing open along the climb itself; Collado Villalba and Navacerrada both have shops and cafes for stocking up beforehand. At over 2,000 m, temperatures at the summit run well below what you'll feel at the start, and the antenna-topped peak is fully exposed to wind, so pack a real jacket even on a warm Madrid day.

Before heading out on any cycling adventure check out our Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip and use our interactive check list to ensure you don't forget anything.

Puerto de Navacerrada is the gateway to several other climbs in the Sierra de Guadarrama - Puerto de Cotos and La Morcuera both start from roads that meet near here, so it's easy to build a bigger day out of this area if you have the legs left after Bola del Mundo. The town of Navacerrada itself has the area's best selection of cafes and bike-friendly lodging if you're staying overnight rather than day-tripping from Madrid. Given how exposed and high the finish is, check conditions at the summit with our Weather tool before you commit to the final gated section - cloud and wind roll in here quickly even when Madrid itself is clear.