Coast-to-Peak Challenge: One week, one stick, two sports

Thirty minutes after sunrise I’m already grinding up the first hair-pin of Spain’s Costa Blanca. Sweat beads race past my eyes and the July UV index hammers the asphalt—but before clipping in I swiped a new ally: SportStick Bio SPF 50. The palm-sized cork tube lives in my jersey pocket; twist, stripe, go.

Day 1–3: salt & spin

From Altea’s turquoise coves I leapfrog north, trading handlebars for paddle-board fins each midday. Three hours of SUP inside the marine reserve at Cap de Sant Antoni is the perfect test: briny spray, glare bouncing off glassy water, and constant palm-heel paddling. Verdict? The non-nano mineral layer holds like a chalk line—no eye-sting, zero greasy slip on the carbon shaft.

Day 4–5: climb & coast

Rolling into the ochre cliffs near Peñíscola, temps touch 35 °C. Re-application takes five seconds at the café stop; the balm’s seeds oil base melts just enough to glide, never leaves a ghostly cast, and—bonus—smells faintly of Mediterranean pine. My pack is lighter too: one 30 g stick replaces the usual armada of tubes.

Eco stats that matter

SportStick Bio is reef-safe and 100 % biodegradable; even its cork holder will compost long before your tan fades. That matters because several Spanish reserves now restrict chemical sunscreens that wash off and bleach coral.

Final push

On the seventh morning I crest the 612 m Mirador del Montgó, sunrise igniting the coast I’ve just traced. Strava says 30 h in the saddle and 12 h on water this week—still no burn, no blisters, no plastic guilt.

Planning your own ride-and-paddle?

 Grab your GPX , one SportStick Bio, and outdo yourself in Montgó before La Vuelta storms these roads next month.

See you on the coast!

#Sommeriscool #outdoorsports #biking #standuppaddle #ecofriendlysunscreen #naturalsunscreen #biodegradablesunscreen #portablesunscreen