A narrow road with a 15% slope to Turó de l'Home
Turó de l'Home is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 1.697m (5,567ft) located in the province of Barcelona, in the center of the autonomous community of Catalonia, in Spain. It was the site of a Transair Douglas Dakota accident in 1959, with 32 fatalities. The climb is really wild, with sections up to 15%.
How long is the road to Turó de l'Home?
Set in the Montseny mountain range, the road to the summit (The Mountain of Man in Catalan) is totally paved but in very poor conditions, with large potholes and loose gravel. Starting at the paved BV-5119, the ascent is 5.5km (3.41 miles) long. In some parts it’s extremely narrow bordered on one side by rocks and on the other side by a drop of hundreds of meters. Due its proximity to Barcelona, the road can get busy on weekends, particularly in the summer.
Is the road to Turó de l'Home open?
Access to the summit is typically open all year round, with the occasional closure in winters due to dangerous weather conditions. The last 1.3km of the road, on a parking lot at Plana Amagada, at 1.680m above the sea level, are closed with a barrier for motorized traffic but open for cyclists. But you will have to carry your bike a short way to get to the very peak of the mountain. Expect high winds, fog and snow in winter.
Is the road to Turó de l'Home worth it?
Tucked away on the northeastern part of the country, within the Natural Park of Montseny, the summit hosts a meteorologist observatory and a little bar. It was used as a military base and a weather station in the past and part of these facilities can still be seen there. The summit offers stunning views of the Mediterranean coastline and the Pyrenees. On clear days you can make out the Serra de Tramuntana, a mountain range in Mallorca. The peak got worldwide famous due the Transair Douglas Dakota accident, an aircraft accident that occurred on 19 August 1959, when a Douglas Dakota operated by British airline Transair on a non-scheduled flight between Barcelona Airport to London-Gatwick Airport crashed in this mountain, causing 32 fatalities.
Is the road to Turó de l'Home steep?
Dubbed as the Catalan version of Mont Ventoux, the road to the summit is very steep, with uneven gradients in the second half of the climb, hitting a 15% of maximum gradient through some of the ramps. Starting at the paved BV-5119 road, the elevation gain is 459 meters. The average gradient is 8.34%. Due its gradient, it’s said to be the only hors catégorie mountain pass in Catalonia that doesn’t belong the Pyrenees. It has been included in very few professional races, just mentioning the Volta a Catalunya in 1976.