The second edition of Balutia will start on 30 April from Pozoblanco, in southern Spain, covering 870 kilometres across Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura
The second edition of Balutia will take place on 30 April 2027 in Pozoblanco (Córdoba), southern Spain.
The 870-kilometre gravel ultracycling adventure will cross three autonomous communities: Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura. With 13,000 metres of elevation gain, a self-supported format and a time limit of 133 hours, the event will once again connect by bicycle some of the territories that formed part of the ancient Kūra of Fash al-Ballut.
Balutia takes its name from an ancient province from the Andalusi period, the Kūra of Fash al-Ballut (“plain of the acorns”), a territory that encompassed parts of what are now the provinces of Córdoba, Ciudad Real and Badajoz. Inspired by these historical boundaries, the route traces a loop connecting regions and landscapes that are now administratively separate, but remain united by geography, culture and memory.
The adventure will start in Pozoblanco, in the heart of Los Pedroches, from where participants will embark on a route through the Valle de Alcudia, the Siberia Extremeña, La Serena, the Valle del Guadiato and the middle and upper reaches of the Guadalquivir. The route also passes through outstanding natural areas such as the Sierra de Hornachuelos Natural Park and the Sierra de Cardeña y Montoro Natural Park, before returning to Pozoblanco to close the loop.
One of the main new features of this second edition will be the relocation of CP3 to the Antigua Iglesia de Santa Ana, in Magacela. The new checkpoint adds a demanding climb through the village, with a final stretch of steep cobbled road leading to a spectacular summit, which features prominently on the Balutia 2027 poster.
With a route made up of approximately 60% paved roads and 40% gravel roads and trails, Balutia offers an ultradistance experience that is technically accessible, but physically and mentally demanding. Participants will have to complete the 870 kilometres and 13,000 metres of elevation gain within a maximum of 133 hours, in a self-supported format.
Balutia continues its ambition to establish itself as a distinctive event within the European ultracycling calendar, bringing attention to a lesser-known territory of great landscape and cultural richness. Starting from Pozoblanco, the event seeks to highlight a landscape that for centuries was connected by roads, paths and relationships that have today become partly obscured by administrative borders.
Beyond the sporting challenge, Balutia is an invitation to cross an ancient frontier by bicycle, rediscovering the continuity of a landscape that has always been there.