Touring the Costa Brava by bike

If you’re going to tour the area more extensively by road then one option is to stay in a different campsite, hostal or hotel each night.

If you’re camping you’ll need pannier bags to carry your camping gear but this way you can take your time to really explore the Costa Brava, stopping for long lunches to get out of the heat or at wineries for find along the way. This is a good option if you’re cycling solo or in a pair, or a small group at the maximum.

Why Girona?

Girona is a popular destination for cyclists who are attracted by the climate, varied terrain and excellent roads that – off-season at least – are relatively quiet. The city also has excellent communications. Barcelona is 90 minutes by train and the French border a stone’s throw away.

Little wonder that Girona is reportedly the world’s most popular city for anglophone pros, with nearly 100 professional riders based in the city. US team Cannondale-Drapac has an equipment and training facility there and it is where Bradley Wiggins moved with his family in 2009 when he joined the team, then known as Garmin-Slipstream.

How Girona became a pro-cycling hub

In the late 90s American cyclist George Hincapie was one of the first Americans to move to the city. His team – US Postal Service – set up operations in Girona and encouraged its riders to move there. The idea was to create a home-from-home for the American cyclists, who tended to find it hard to adapt to living in Europe.

Later the team’s management set up a sophisticated doping programme for its riders, aided by a pair of Spanish doctors. While France and Italy enacted strict anti-doping laws, Spain had no such legislation, and the team began to make waves.

But the cyclist who really put Girona on the map was Hincapie’s teammate, Lance Armstrong. Having joined US Postal Service in 1997 he moved from Nice to Girona in 2000, reputedly to escape France’s anti-doping laws. He could also be closer to the doping operation.

Armstrong won the Tour de France every year between 1999 and 2005. The results were later struck off after the extent of his doping came to light. You can read the full story here. Although many cyclists now curse him, he is inextricably linked to Girona and the the cycling routes surrounding the city.

Despite the doping scandal, Girona has remained a hub for cyclists. Just visit American-style coffee shop, La Fabrica, while you’re there. It’s owned and operated by a former pro, Christian Meier, and his wife, Amber and where the pros all hang out. Go and grab a coffee and rub shoulders.

Girona lies in the Ter valley at the point no less than four rivers converge. The climate is one of extremes, with cold winters and hot summers, although autumn and spring are more comfortable. Surrounding the city are the 1,200m Guilleries and 532m Gavarres massifs, complete with winding mountain roads. That’s what the pro cyclists are there for.

Volta a Catalunya

The area is also used in the annual Volta a Catalunya. Bradley Wiggins took part in 2013 with Team Sky, finishing fifth overall. I shot the video below of stage 3, on the C35 between Llagostera and Vidreres.

Starting in Videres, they headed to Caldes de Malavella, Llagostera and back to Vidreres before heading to the finish, 2,200 metres above sea level in the Pyrenees, a total of 180 km.

Take your bike… or hire?

Given the choice there’s a fair chance you’d prefer to ride your own bike while on a cycling holiday.

But the disadvantages associated with transporting your bike can easily outweigh the convenience of hiring a bike from a local shop. Let’s consider the pros and cons.

Transporting your bike

If you’re driving to the Costa Brava from the UK or Europe it’s fairly straightforward to transport your bike on a bike rack or roof-rack. Evans Cycles put together a handy guide about bike transport. If you own a campervan or motorhome then you might even have space inside, depending on what other equipment and luggage you need.

Budget airlines offer cheap flights, but you often pay through the nose for anything extra. Naturally that includes bikes. Ryanair currently charge €60/£60 per flight for a bike weighing up to 30kg but you can check the airline’s up-to-date policy here or read Easyjet’s policy, although it doesn’t mention prices.

If you’re flying from North America then you may be surprised at how much prices vary between the different airlines. You might also have a connecting flight from one of the big European hubs to Girona or Barcelona airports. Currently prices vary from £20 per flight via Air Transat from Canada to the UK. United charges $200 per transatlantic flight. Cycle UK put together a handy guide to flying your bike all over the world.

Another option is to courier your bike to and from your destination. You can either use FedEx or another courier company or a bike transportation specialist such as Bike Flights. The trouble with this is the cost is prohibitive if flying long distance, but if you have deep pockets it’s an option to consider. You’ll need to make sure you can ship to your hotel or other accommodation though and allow time for transportation and customs clearance.

Bike rental

But whether you choose to fly with your bike or courier it out there is a chance your bike is damaged in transit, no matter how well you protect it. Because of the high cost and risk of damage you may decide to hire a bike instead.

OK, so it’s not your bike. But you should get a pretty decent bike that is in good condition and well maintained. That way your flights will be stress-free without all the hassle of travelling with your bike. Checking it in, collecting it the other end and worrying whether it has made it or been damaged.

You can hire road bikes and tourers from the following bike shops, all located in Girona and used to catering for English speakers:

Check what equipment is provided when you rent in advance, as you may be expected to provide pedals. On the other hand, at least one hire shop goes all in, including GPS. Remember to check whether you need to provide your own helmet, pump and puncture repair kit or not too.

Planning your route

You can plan your route in advance so you get to visit, say, as many medieval villages as possible. You could plan it by wineries, restaurants or beaches. Or if you prefer to go with the flow, decide what you’re going to do the net day over dinner and wine, or even at breakfast before setting off.

With smartphones now the norm you don’t even need to carry a map, the Google Maps app works perfectly for planning your route and the costs of roaming now are negligible. Whether this changes after Brexit is another question though, just in case things have changed since writing this and I haven’t updated it.

If that’s the case you might like to gently remind me 😉

If you’re with a group of cyclists or travelling with your club then you’ll probably have a home base for the duration of your stay and set off from there each day. Rather than seeing the Costa Brava as a bike tourist this is more like the Tour de Costa Brava! Sure, you can still enjoy the food, drink and sights along the way. But it’s probably more about the cycling than the Costa Brava and you’re more likely to be doing serious mileage each day.

There are so many good routes that it’s impossible to list them all here. Here’s a 124km loop that takes you from Girona, up the hill climb of Els Àngels (see below for more on the pro training routes) and across the Gavarres to La Bisbal. Then you head down to the coast at Sant Antoni de Calonge then along the winding coastal road all the way to Tossa de Mar. After that the route takes you through the Cadiretes massif to Llagostera, the spa town of Caldes de Malavella and finally up to Girona.

There’s also this 143km loop that starts inland at Serinyà and takes you around Figueres and to the winding mountain roads of Cap de Creus. After that it heads back past Roses and Castelló d’Empúries and back to the start via Bàscara.

Use Strava to find local routes or simply use Google Maps to plan your cycling for the day.

Organised bike tours

If you prefer to have things planned for you then there are a number of companies that organise bike tours. Girona based Eat Sleep Cycle (mentioned above in the section on bike hire) has both self-guided and guided itineraries for all levels including a loop that follows coastline from Begur down to Tossa de Mar with an overnight stop.

Another tour they offer is the 300km gourmet tour of Catalonia. It takes in the Empordà region and the Pyrenees and includes wine tasting and fantastic food! They also run training camps and challenge days.

Training routes used by the pros

If a touring the Costa Brava sounds too easy you can pit yourself against the pros instead. The obvious pro training route to get you started is the “Hincapie Loop” used by many riders, including Lance Armstrong back in the day.

It starts and finishes in Girona and includes the classic Els Àngels hill climb. Just take a look at the names on the leaderboard when you follow that link. At the top is a hermitage, El Santuari dels Àngels. It’s a hotel and restaurant so you might want to plan some time there to recuperate before continuing the loop.

Another climb popular with Armstrong and used by the pros to test their form is the 10km Rocacorba climb. At one time the record was held by Wiggins.

It’s near Banyoles, around 20km from Girona and at the top you’ll find the 12th-century Santuari de Rocacorba. Armstrong used to cycle up the part dirt track on his mountain bike, but these days you’ll find tarmac all the way to the top. Wiggins also used the climb to assess his fitness. It’s still a tough ride but – once you’ve recovered – the views at the top are amazing. If you’re starting in Girona check out this 66km route that includes Rocacorba.

The Mare de Déu del Mont climb is 19km route that was frequented by US Postal Service riders.

Again, there is a monastery at the top of this 1,100 metre peak, the 14th-century Santuari de la Mare de Déu del Mont. The peak is sometimes called Porta del Pirineu, or “gateway to the Pyrenees” and once more the views are absolutely breathtaking. Here’s a 133km loop that includes the Mare de Déu del Mont.

A couple of other ascents frequented by the pros are the climbs from Amer to Sant Marti Sacalm and Cassà de la Selva to Santa Pellaia. Try the former in this 118km loop, or the latter is a segment of this 68km loop. Just make sure you upload your data to Strava and see how you compare.

Costa Brava Lifestyle

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