The popularity of road cycling in the UK continues to soar and bike fans are being invited to swap pot holes and puddles for sunshine and smooth tarmac at Spain's La Manga Club with the resort's new Winter Sunshine Cycling Breaks, starting from €292 (£230 approx) per person for a four-night package.

While Britain faces an estimated £6 billion-plus bill to repair its crumbling road surfaces over the next six years, the Spanish region of Murcia boasts pristine traffic-free routes and more than 300 days' sunshine a year, and La Manga Club is the perfect base for a memorable cycling holiday.

The award-winning destination resort is offering a range of cycling packages for riders of all abilities in 2015, starting with its new winter breaks, which take place on the same roads as previously used in the Vuelta a España and by professional riders including local favourite, former Vuelta winner Alejandro Valverde.

A typical four-night package features three guided rides of 40-plus miles, each led by experienced competition-standard cyclists with full support, with riders offered the chance to test themselves on a variety of terrain; from steep climbs and amazing descents to great flats perfect for building up speed.

Prices, which are based on groups of six or more people, include twin-share accommodation in one of La Manga Club's four-star Las Lomas Village apartments, daily buffet breakfast, two gym sessions, complimentary access to the fitness centre, indoor pool, sauna and steam rooms at Spa La Manga Club and resort shuttle bus service. Seven-night itineraries are available on request.

Road bikes can be hired for €95 per person for three days while secure bike storage is provided for all packages.

Bikes are provided by the well-established Biking La Manga company, which also runs three popular weekly group road rides from La Manga Club during the summer months. There are two evening group rides (Monday and Wednesday) and a Saturday Grupetto, which has featured Valverde in the past.

In addition, there are also a multitude of mountain bike trails on the resort's doorstep which are suited to a varied category of rider, with the surrounding area providing various routes and terrain for cycling, fitness and triathlon enthusiasts to enjoy in beautiful unspoilt Mediterranean countryside.

And in an new exciting addition for 2015, guests will also have access to La Manga Club's new High Performance Sports Centre which offers a comprehensive range of services designed to enable riders to optimise and monitor their sporting performance, prevent injuries and boost their health and fitness.

Set in 1,400 acres, La Manga Club boasts unrivalled facilities as a sports and leisure destination including three 18-hole championship golf courses, a 28-court tennis centre and a 2,000sqm spa and fitness centre. It also offers the choice of a five-star hotel, four-star serviced apartments and townhouses and more than 20 bars and restaurants.

For more information and to book call 00 34 968 17 5577, email delphine.gauthier@lamangaclub.com or visit www.lamangaclub.com. 

ENDS

Information for journalists

Press release written and distributed on behalf of La Manga Club by the Azalea Group.

La Manga Club
La Manga Club – www.lamangaclub.com – is an unrivalled sports and leisure paradise which sits between the low hills that separate the Mediterranean from the Mar Menor Sea, just 20 minutes from Murcia airport and an hour from Alicante.

Set out over an area of some 560 hectares (approx. 1,400 acres), it enjoys a mild year-round Mediterranean climate and offers visitors a prestigious five-star hotel, luxury vacation apartments and extensive sports facilities, including three championship golf courses, a new Leadbetter Golf Academy – the only one in mainland Spain – a 28-court tennis centre and eight grass sports pitches. The resort is also home to innumerable leisure facilities, such as the 2,000m2 Spa La Manga Club with its 13 luxurious treatment rooms, comprehensive fitness centre and 25m indoor swimming pool; meeting, banqueting and incentive facilities, and more than 20 restaurants and bars.

As well as hosting both Davis and Fed Cup tennis matches, La Manga Club has signed a long-term deal to be the overseas training resort of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) until 2016. It has also staged the Spanish Open golf championship and regularly attracts professional and international football teams to the first-class year-round training facilities which are also used by rugby and cricket sides.

As a result of more than 40 years of continued investment, innovation and commitment to excellence, La Manga Club is widely recognised as Spain's flagship resort and as one of the finest sports and lifestyle destinations in the world. Evidence of this is provided by its numerous awards and accolades.

La Manga Club was the proud recipient of a 2013 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel website, for the facilities and service on offer at its five-star Hotel Principe Felipe. The resort has been voted 'Best Golf Hotel/Resort in Spain' by UK readers of Today's Golfer magazine for the last three years and was named 'Best Golf Hotel in Spain' at the 2014 World Golf Awards. La Manga Club has long been a staunch supporter of women's golf, being the official overseas resort partner of the English Women's Golf Association for three years as well as hosting the Ladies European Tour (LET) Qualifying School from 2009-12. La Manga Club is also the venue for the Ladies Murcia Open, an LET Access Series event, and regularly hosts top women's amateur events and teams.

• High-resolution images of La Manga Club may be downloaded for editorial purposes from http://goo.gl/pHbd5b 

For more information on La Manga Club contact Pete Simm on 01730 711920 or email petes@theazaleagroup.com