Difficulty - Medium International Tours 2025 09 21 - Spain - Girona Road Experience 2025

Welcome to Girona.

Home to a vast population of current and former professional road cyclists, Girona is a cycling mecca. Today we all meet in Girona, settle in to our accommodation, set up our trusty bikes and go for a shake out ride. No better way to get rid of the cobwebs of travel.

Today's ride is straight out of town and headed for Sant Hilari. Our road to Sant Hilari is very picturesque and heads ...well ... up. Its a 23km climb, with the majority of the time being spent at 4-5%. Don't worry there are a couple of steep pinches.

Every great climb should have an equally amazing descent. Ours is one out of the box. A 24km, winding road, with very few steep bits. Take your time, enjoy the view and we will be down in no time.

Today is a day of postcard vistas. After breakfast we will get ready for a full day. We catch a train for a short ride north to our starting point in Figueres today. We have a real treat in store for our group today. Our ride will head further north and make our way into France briefly, before returning via the scenic ocean views of the Costa Brava.

Expect rolling hills and amazing views out over the Balearic Sea in the direction of Corsica over the horizon. Warm days and sea breezes are a staple of this ride. All up our ride will be all day with about 1600m climbing. After this big day, you will sleep well tonight.

Today we have a bit of elevation on the cards. We will climb toward the heavens, as we reach for the summit of Mare de Deu del Mont (trans: Our Lady of the Mountain). Our ride will be long and slow today as we travel about 4okms to the base of this climb, just over the Riu Fluvia river. Our next 20kms is all uphill. 

The last 10kms of this climb get quite twisty as the road snakes its way up to the heavens. At the summit we find the shrine to the Virgin Mary. After a quick look around, we will commence our descent before we turn off and return to Girona via a different route.

Els Angels is a serious 10.4 km climb just outside Girona, with varying gradient. There are a few short downhill sections, giving us the chance to catch our breath. We will need to be cautious as it's a fairly steep descent down the other side to Madremanya. We will then ride through Monells. A picturesque ancient village that is really worth a visit.

We will continue to the Santa Pellaia climb which is approximately 7 kms further up the road. Don't worry we are nearly home. On the descent we have gentle gradients before a nice descent to Casa de la Selva then back to our base in Girona.

Girona has its very own secret climb, that many of the Pro's use to test their form. Rocacorba is a 13.8km climb at an average of 6.5% and is located just 20 kilometres north of the old town. Named after the 12th century Santuari de Rocacorba that sits just shy of the summit. This is Girona's own Alpe d'Huez.

We start with a ride north to Banyoles, to bring us toward the base. We roll out of town and cross the river and this is where the climb commences. At around the same distance and average gradient as its French cousin in the Alps, expect this climb to take anywhere from 50 to 90mins to climb. We will roll back to Banyoles for lunch before we head back home to base in Girona.

Today we roll out of Girona toward the East and coast. We head for the town of Llagostera, where we commence a 8.5 km long gradual climb, a little steeper than Melbourne's 1:20 climb to Sassafras. We head to Sant Feliu de Quixols, a great place for us to pause and can grab a bite to eat.

After our little break, we cruise along the Costa Brava coastal road, which can only be described as spectacular. As the afternoon sun moves toward the horizon, we turn and head back to Girona, but not before a gentle 5km climb that will see us out for the day.

Today's ride is a lovely adventure to the north west of Girona. Rolling hills and sweeping descents await as we roll out after breakfast. The roads are rural, small and quiet. Great ingredients for a perfect day.

We head out of town and commence climbing immediately. Don't worry its gentle in the main. The first climb of the day is approximately 10km long. Its a meandering climb that never exceeds 300m in altitude. In what will feel like no time we are descending to commence our longest climb of the day.

Our climb of the day is approximately 20km long at only 1.5% gradient. here we will stop for a break. On heading off again, we will do a 20km long descent on bike paths, keeping our group safe. We arrive at the beautiful old town of Anglès. We have a rolling descent, punctuated by a couple of short climbs, before we complete our loop to Girona.

Today is our final ride of this tour.  We will take in a route that will encompass all that we love about this region. The quiet roads, the little towns and a beautiful lake. Today we will ride to Banyoles.

This ride is a Girona staple. It is probably the most ridden route in the region. Banyoles, is our coffee stop today. It was the site for the Olympic Rowing Regatta, as part of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. It's approximately a 30km ride, generally uphill.

After our break, a short descent before we continue on with more climbing. Expect some great views and quiet roads to soak in what has been a great tour of riding. We will roll back down into Girona, before we pack away our bikes ready for travel, then head out for our farewell dinner.

All good things must come to an end.

We complete what has been a wonderful tour. So many great experiences and wonderful stories to tell. Hopefully you have all enjoyed yourselves and will be looking for your next cycling adventure very soon.