Forum menu
Just enjoying our final night in the city after a week of fantastic road riding, despite the at times crazy temperatures.
Perfect destination for a week's riding as it's not just punishing Alpine climbs, I alternated between climbing days and easier rolling days, including an awesome coastal route straight off the Pacific coast line.
The Rococorba climb was punishing, gradients too steep to allow any recovery if you were already in the red, but worth the effort. Was beginning to get concerned about my latex tubes and heat in the rims as I descended though...
Highlight was the descent from Sant Hilari Sacalm to Osor. Not much gradient, which meant you could genuinely get off the brakes for most of the corners and really enjoy leaning the bike in.
Found our spiritual home at Hors Categorie pub/restaurant, craft beers, good tunes, Red Bull TV and vintage Yetis and Looks hanging on the walls. Unfortunately our group was too big and too fussy to enjoy the better looking restaurants in town, better coming back with my wife for that!
Have a final score to settle with one of the other guys up Els Angels tomorrow, a quick uphill TT before the flight home!
Lovely part of the world. Really good MTB at Santa Coloma der Farners and Pure Riding Bike Park at Osor too. Stunning coastline around Tamariu and Aigua Blava
Was there a few weeks ago. Fantastic city and fantastic riding.
I miss the pinxos badly.
Might go in spring or autumn next time though as it was like riding in a furnace.
Hmm, underwhelmed on our visit. We had crap weather which didn't help but we found it a real pain getting in and out of the city without using very busy roads. Nice riding when you got there but too much faff accessing the good stuff.Admittedly we didn't have a guide which might have helped to find short cuts, Really liked the old town though.
Found the opposite of Fog, thought it was fairly easy to get around, but was with regular riders there who I just followed.
Rococorba in my opinion was a rubbish climb and not a nice decent. It’s harsh for the only reward being suffering. There’s no pleasant views, just tough gradient. Was 36 degrees when I did it and really didn’t enjoy it. I also only had 53-39 and 11-28. Really needed a compact with 32 cassette.
Loved the classic ride (els angels) and the dam ride. Sant Hilari also a nice climb with constant gradients.
We hired bikes from eat sleep cycle and a wee chat with their mechanic meant he "followed" me on strava, he recommended rides which I them set up as routes to follow.
Great city.
but we found it a real pain getting in and out of the city without using very busy roads
I could understand this point of view I guess, we never found a quiet route out of the city when heading north, always ended up on the N-11, but it wasn't really that bad, traffic seemed patient and polite, decent width hard shoulder which seemed to be glass and gravel free.
Going south was more pleasant, still a few roundabouts but then you'd suddenly be on some really nice country roads.
Hammered Els Angels on the last day to try and pip my mates time from earlier in the week. Was a great exercise on riding to the limit for 30 minutes, ready to vomit at the top (final sprint to the line didn't help...) but took 5 minutes of my PB.
Mar de Deu del Mont was the one that got away, apparently a longer/nicer climb than Rococorba, unfortunately it just became one ride too many for the group so we never did it. Nice to have something to go back to though. Didn't manage the sportive route either, or the wee cobbled climbs up to the cathedral.
Rococorba in my opinion was a rubbish climb
I know what you mean, but we enjoyed having a 'famous' climb to race one another on, and if nothing else it was memorable for the steeps and the dodgy surface. It's true though that I was glad I gave it a good stab early in the week, some of my mates wanted to go back and do it again as they cocked it up first time (hadn't stopped for refreshments in Banyoles so were all hot and thirsty and had to stop at the wee juice place 2/3rds way up) but there was no way I was ruining my legs grinding too high a gear up those slopes again...
I can thoroughly recommend going down the weekend of Sea Otter next year if you're going to Girona. The place is alive with bikes, the show is free (and massive), the weather nice and the Tapas good... Wait I think thats always the case. Love Girona, can't wait to go back!
[IMG] 
[/IMG]
Tossa de Mar
[img] 
[/img]
Rococorba (excuse handlebar height, had a back spasm two weeks before trip!)
[img] 
[/img]
Vintage Yeti in Hors Categorie bar
[img] 
[/img]
Vintage Kleins, gorgeous!