Mane

On Wednesday, Girona rides like a girl . A weekly ride leaves for four a 3-hour ride from the main post office by the Placa de Independencia. Nice and and well behaving boys and gentlemen are always welcome. Today many girls were down with flu. We were 4 boys and Anna. The weather was good enough, a bit chilly in the morning, but we had some sunshine as well. There are so many small country roads. If one knows the right routes, one never has to ride on highways. Today we choose the so called "stick farms" route. The route goes through plant nurseries and gardens near Celra. Small pines, palm trees etc are growing there waiting for someone to buy them. A large palm trees cost 4000 euros. Significant business. Monells  We rode to Pubol by Dali's castle to Monells for coffee. We were not the only cyclists riding as there were ten others having coffee in Monells. Good coffee, delicious bocadillos. Then it was time to climb over Santa Pellaia. It is a nice 9 km cl...

After riding up and down mountains and hills, I wanted to ride a very easy flat route today. I was thinking about riding to Cap de Creus, but decided not to. It was becoming a bit late - had I had a flat, I would not have made it to the Llança station before sunset. And I do not fancy cycling in the dark. River Ter So instead, I spent some time exploring Empuriabrava. It is an artificial Venice-like maze of canals built on a swamp. The residents have both fancy cars and expensive boat s. Some boats are bigger than houses. About 30% of the boats and houses seems to be for sale. The average age of population is over 55 and BMI about 30. Not a place for cyclists. Too many cars. Empuriabrava From Empuriabrava I rode to Vilajuiga. Since still had some time before sunset, I rode to Figueres via Peralada. The road C-252 is very nice. I took a train back from Figueres. 109km, about 4 hours. Average hearth rate 122bpm. Very, very easy pace. And no climbing. The route:  ht...

When I meet other cyclists in Girona, they often ask me about my favourite rides. Here is a list of some of my favourite rides in Girona. This is still a draft version. I will add new routes as I ride them myself. I will also write longer descriptions later. And I will fix the many grammatical and other mistakes there are. Please do not mind them too much now. See and join the Girona Rides Facebook group for more information. Both sides of Els Àngles: 40km, 900 meters climbing Santuari dels Àngels sit on the top of a 470 meter high hill. The bottom of the climb is only 4 kilometers away from Girona, which makes the climb very popular. The climb from Girona is about 11km long, so average grade is only 4%. Since there are some downhill and flat sections, most climbing is about 6%. A nice climb. The Girona Gran Fondo Hill Race takes place on this climb.  The other side from Madremanya is much steeper with an average of closer to 8% with sections over 10%. The road surfac...

This is one of my favourite rides in Girona. It is long enough, but not too long. It has some climbs, but too many (2) and they are not that steep. The views are just about perfect over mountains and the Mediterranean. Tossa de Mar has decent cafes, fascinating blue bay with sail boats and swimming. A beach. The route in ridewithgps.com . What else could one ask for? Well, there is public water fountain and a toilet in Llagostera 25 km from Girona and right before the main climb. Llagostera is worth a visit. Tossa de Mar is even more worth a visit. Between Girona and Llagostera the road crosses some beautiful rolling terrain. One can really put in some power and enjoy fast ride. Some advice though. From Girona to Llagostera one can either take the small roads as we did today or one ride directly on a highway. Both are Ok. The highway is a bit easier to follow. The small roads are in terrible condition, so one should really pay attention.  The climb to Sant Grau ...