Day 1 starts at sea level in Málaga and makes the brief very clear: climb. After the first city kilometres, the route tilts into the Montes de Málaga: 43.5 kilometres, about 1,280 metres of climbing, most of it packed into the long ascent away from the coast. Past the urban edge, the view opens up. The road cuts through pine forest, dry hillsides and small gaps with clean looks back to the Mediterranean. By Camino Bajo del Cerrado, the city is gone. Mirador Martínez-Falero is the natural pause: shade, benches and a view into the forested Guadalmedina valleys. Higher up, near the Carretera/Serranilla monolith, the landscape opens towards the inland hills. Colmenar ends the stage quietly at around 680 metres.
