Description
The riding starts in the mountain town of Ripoll cycling along the ‘Ruta del Ferro’ to the village of Sant Joan de les Abadesses. Once we have passed through the town we climb for 7km and then over the beautiful mountain pass of the ‘Col de Santigosa’ before descending for 12km into Olot, which is the capital city of the volcanic region of ‘La Garrotxa”.
From Olot to Girona the riding takes place on the converted railway that is known as “The Carrilet”. It is a gentle descent for about 60 km into Girona through stunning scenery along the old railway line.
The following day’s ride is one of the classic Girona road rides of 80km. The ride has a great mix of valley and mountain views with two mountain passes before returning to Girona along the same route.
From Girona the next day of riding includes the challenging ‘Els Angels’ mountain pass towards the timeless Medieval Villages of the Baix Emporda region. After cycling through several of the beautiful villages the destination is a stunning hilltop village, with views over the Mediterranean Sea as well as to the Pyrenees mountains.
The following day’s ride is a lovely ‘out and back’ ride through several more of the Medieval villages of the area before stopping for lunch in a charming seaside village.
The tour then follows the well marked Baix Emporda Cycling Network cycling routes to the final destination of the tour, staying in a 4 star hotel located right on the edge of the sparkling blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
The last day’s ride is an ‘out and back’ classic coastal ride that was part of the 2009 Tour de France stage from Girona to Barcelona. The views along this stretch of road are simply breathtaking (so too are the hills!).
On your final day you will be transferred to the Sant Feliu de Guixols bus station to catch the direct bus to Barcelona after a fantastic 8 days of exploring the very best of the cycling on offer in this part of Catalonia.