Our shop is on Marqués de Pidal street, in Oviedo. From our front door, it takes half an hour of pedaling to reach the top of the Naranco.

That is what makes it different from the other nine: you don't have to travel to get there. You're already there.

The numbers

From the center of Oviedo, it is 5.5 kilometers with a 360-meter elevation gain, an average gradient of 6.5%, and a maximum of 10%. The summit is at 600 meters.

On our difficulty scale, it scores 23, the lowest in our guide. It is the benchmark against which we measure everything else: the Angliru scores 128 and the Gamoniteiru 142.

The profile, kilometer by kilometer

Km	1	2	3	4	5	6
%	6	7	8	10	6	4

It climbs progressively until the fourth kilometer, the only one that reaches ten percent, and then it flattens out. Nothing you can't climb with any gear ratio.

How long it will take you

Cyclotourist	37 min
Fit amateur	28 min
Competition pace	19 min

Why it's the first one you should climb

If you are coming to Asturias for a few days, the temptation is to go for the Angliru on the first day. Don't do it.

Climb the Naranco. It's half an hour, consequence-free, and it tells you three things: how you are feeling after the trip, how the gearing you brought is working, and what it’s like to ride around here. With that information, you can plan the rest of the week well. Without it, you're just improvising.

In our guide, we put it this way: start with the Naranco and leave the Angliru and the Gamoniteiru for when your legs—and your head—are ready.

What's at the top

This is what no one expects from a cycling climb.

On the slopes of the Naranco are Santa María del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo, two jewels of 9th-century Asturian Pre-Romanesque architecture, declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. And at the summit, the Christ of the Naranco, with all of Oviedo at your feet.

It is the only climb in the guide where you can stop to see twelve-hundred-year-old architecture halfway through the ascent.

The Vuelta climb

The Naranco has been a stage finish for the Vuelta a España since 1974, when José Manuel Fuente won, and it has returned in multiple editions. It is the Asturian climb with the most years in the race, far ahead of the Angliru.

It doesn't decide major general classifications, but it is the stage finish that the people of Oviedo watch from home.

What isn't in the data

Urban traffic at the base. The first few meters take you out of the city, and you have to be careful. From there on, the lane is wide, and traffic drops significantly.

It's the sunset climb. Climbing it as the light fades and watching Oviedo light up from above is one of the best things you can do in this city on a bike.

The combo. Pair it with the Alto de la Manzaneda for a short ride on a fine morning. And if you are looking for a big day, the Naranco is the first step of the Triple Crown: Naranco, El Cordal, La Cobertoria, and the grand finale on the Angliru.

And if you live here

Then we don't have to tell you this. The Naranco is where us locals do our intervals, test out a new bike, and go when we only have an hour. It’s climbed hundreds of times and never gets old.

If you see us out there, say hello.

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The other nine. The Naranco is one of the ten legendary climbs of Asturias that we have compiled in a seventeen-page guide: kilometer-by-kilometer profiles, times by fitness level, and six routes that link them together. It's free.

Download the Asturias climbs guide

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to climb the Naranco by bike?

Between 37 minutes for a cyclotourist and 28 for a fit amateur. At a competition pace, 19 minutes. It is 5.5 kilometers at 6.5% from the center of Oviedo.

Is the Alto del Naranco difficult?

It is the most accessible of the great Asturian climbs. Only one kilometer reaches 10%, and the rest fluctuates between 4% and 8%. It is the ideal climb for the first day of a trip.

What can you see while climbing the Naranco?

Santa María del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo, two 9th-century Asturian Pre-Romanesque churches declared World Heritage Sites, and the Christ of the Naranco at the summit, with views over Oviedo.

Since when has it been part of La Vuelta?

Since 1974, when José Manuel Fuente won. It is the Asturian climb with the most history in the Vuelta a España, ahead of the Angliru, which debuted in 1999.