OK, I have a confession. And I’ll put it out there before anyone has a chance to go back far enough on my Instagram to discredit me: I’ve been to Girona. But, my trip was brief and sadly without a bike, so when I had the chance to actually plan a few days in the small city in northern Spain, where the French influence is so prevalent that they say “Merci” instead of “Gracias,” I wanted to approach it with a fresh set of eyes and a rented road bike.

mh-old-town-gironaOld town Girona, Spain

The first move: figure out the optimal dates. This one was easy. Girona is a hotspot for pro road cyclists in the winter and home to many pros year round. I figured sometime between December and February would be optimal for rubbing shoulders with the fastest of the fast guys (even if I would instantly get dropped). Girona is known for its mild winters can get chilly in the city, but rarely does it hit below freezing. Summer can be brutally hot and is far more touristy than winter. Hitting the offseason for tourism and the prime of cycling season is pretty much the best thing a rider can hope for. So, the best timing was definitely winter.

Now, for the bike. I hate flying with a bike – it’s an enormous headache. Even though cycling is my primary sport, I spend a lot of the year without a way to pedal because I travel so much. But in Girona, there are a lot of options. On the advice of the recently retired roadie and former Girona dweller Phil Gaimon, I settled on the Girona Cycle Centre for a three day rental of a Cannondale road bike with Shimano 105, which would run 90 Euros. That’s 30 Euros a day, which meant that I had to start considering some three-hour routes because, for some reason, the idea of 10 Euro per hour of riding seems justifiable, whereas anything under that would feel like I wasn’t getting my money’s worth. There are cheaper options – no drop bars, hybrid-style – and there were more baller options – disc brake road bike! – but I figured a mid-level road bike was all I needed to really have some fun.

Bonus: the folks at Bike Breaks Girona Cycle Centre run a ride every Tuesday and Thursday at 10 am , so if you’re nervous about heading out solo in unfamiliar territory like I am, you can hop on this ride to get to know the town in a non-threatening way. This will definitely be my Day 1 plan. And it won’t be a walk in the park either: the first ride I checked out on the shop Strava page was just shy of 40 miles long and took riders for a big loop outside the city.

mh-strava-gironaMap courtesy of Strava

But before riding, the first stop on any cyclist’s tour of Girona – especially if English is your native language – has to be La Fabrica, run by Canadian retired-pro Christian Meier and his wife, Amber. The two have made Girona home and their coffee shop is Instagram-famous.

[instagram-feed id="1680799724"]

A bit of social media stalking confirms Gaimon’s point that I had to put it on my to-do list proving it’s a hotspot if you’re looking for ride buddies or anything cycling-related.

While in Girona, I’d have to plan to do at least one pro-as-F day – that is, I’d have to take on at least one truly ridiculous endeavor. So, why not go for an insane climb? This two-climb Strava route should crush my legs (and possibly soul).

mh-strava-girona-2Map courtesy of Strava

It starts with going up the Rocacorba, a brutal climb favored by the pros in the area for its length and steepness, topping out at 3,071 feet above sea level (and climbing nearly that much). Then, Strava masochist David Strasser will send me up the Mare de Dieu del Mont, nicknamed simply El Mont. It’s the highest climb in the region, gaining over 3,500 feet of elevation. The entire route is just under 86 miles, so it’s a monster day on the bike, but if you’re only in town for a few days, you have to make it count.

mh-girona-top-del-montView from the top of the Mare de Dieu del Mont

And last, but certainly not least, the spot to refuel. I’ll definitely be taking Gaimon’s advice about the Moroccan restaurant El Cul del Mon for dinner. According to him, “that’s the real shit and amazing food but walkable and usually pretty easy to get into.” Sold.

I’ve never “properly” been to Girona, Spain but now that I have these ride routes (and, let’s be honest, food choices) laid out, I can’t wait to get back there and start pedaling.

 

Landmarks on this map

El Cul del Mon
Girona, Spain
Mare de Déu del Mont Climb
Rocacorba Climb
The Famous La Fàbrica Girona Coffee Shop
The Girona Cycle Centre