La Perico: routes and how to prepare
The course
Gran Fondo
- Distance
- 164 km
- Climbing
- 3,142 m
- Highest point
- 1,856 m
- Categorised climbs
- 13 · up to 14 %
- Shape
- Loop
Measured on the course you ride in Cycloscape. The organiser's own figures are below.
Elevation profile
981–1,856 m · 13 categorised climbsThe 6 biggest of 13 categorised climbs, in the order you ride them.
La Perico is the cyclotourist ride of Pedro Delgado, the 1988 Tour de France winner, from his home city of Segovia over the passes of the Sierra de Guadarrama. In 2026 the Gran Fondo was 164 km with 3,200 m of climbing and the Fondo 119 km with 2,100 m, starting by Segovia's Roman aqueduct and finishing at the Pedro Delgado sports hall. The 2027 date has not been confirmed yet.
Marcha Pedro Delgado · La Perico at a glance
- Where
- Segovia, Spain
- Next edition
- Date to be confirmed by the organiser
- Routes
- Gran Fondo: 164 km, 3,200 m climbing · Fondo: 119 km, 2,100 m climbing
- Terrain
- Mountain — long climbs
- Facts checked
- 4 November 2026, against the sources below
Full preparation and course training require Event Coach Pro.
Ride the real course on your trainer. The route of Marcha Pedro Delgado · La Perico, 164 km, as a 3D world, with your trainer following its gradients — any day, and as part of your Event Coach plan. Part of Cycloscape Pro.
The routes
La Perico offers 2 routes.
| Route | Distance | Climbing |
|---|---|---|
| Gran Fondo (2026) | 164 km | 3,200 m |
| Fondo (2026) | 119 km | 2,100 m |
What the course asks of you
The Gran Fondo climbs the classic passes of the Guadarrama — Navacerrada, La Morcuera, Canencia and Navafría — each a climb of several kilometres through pine forest, on the routes where Delgado trained.
Four mountain passes at altitude: pace each one evenly, eat on the descents, and keep warm clothing for the tops, which are cold even in summer mornings.
How to prepare
The general shape of a good preparation, which Event Coach turns into a plan for your fitness, time and date:
- Train long climbs: steady efforts of 30 to 60 minutes just below your threshold match the cols of La Perico far better than short intervals.
- Build the long day: rides of five to seven hours in the final two months, towards the 164 km of the route you choose.
- Practise eating and drinking on a schedule, and descending: a mountain day is as much going down as going up.
Pacing mistakes to avoid
The mistakes that cost riders the most on a day like this:
- Treating the first climb of La Perico as a race: a long col ridden above the pace you can hold for hours costs you the rest of the day.
- Saving nothing for the last climb, where the most kilometres are already in your legs.
- Skipping food on the descents: the next climb starts with what you ate on the way down.
Prepare La Perico with Cycloscape
Tell Event Coach you are doing La Perico, your route and what you want from the day, and it builds your preparation: structured workouts held by your trainer in ERG, Race Pacing for how to spend your effort, and Performance Lab to see whether the work is landing. Full preparation and course training require Event Coach Pro.
Frequently asked
When is La Perico?
The organiser has not announced the next edition's date yet. Event Coach lets you set your own target date until it does.
How long are the routes of La Perico?
Gran Fondo: 164 km with 3,200 m of climbing; Fondo: 119 km with 2,100 m of climbing. The 2026 routes as listed by Correr Juntos's guide to Spanish sportives.
How many riders take part?
1,237 riders in 2025.
Can I ride the course of La Perico in Cycloscape?
Yes, inside Event Coach with Cycloscape Pro: once you start your preparation, the course is ridden on your trainer as part of the plan.