Homage to Catalonia: how I found cycling heaven on a 90km coastal loop from Girona

A city with ancient roots, Girona has seen myriad invasions and settlements in its long history, from the Iberians to the Moors; and the Romans who built the Citadel walls, to Franco’s forces in the late 1930s.

In 2024, however, it is not battle cries that echo off the walls of the Barri Vell, or Old Town, but the sound of freehubs whirring as hundreds of cyclists navigate the cobbled streets of the oldest part of the Spanish city.

Since the early 2000s, when Lance Armstrong left Nice behind to take up residence in Girona’s historical Jewish Quarter, cyclists have become increasingly ubiquitous in the Catalan capital in northeastern Spain.

Hundreds of professionals call the city their home, as well as an abundance of keen amateurs, while tens of thousands of tourists visit for cycling holidays and a chance for some pro spotting every year.

Mild weather, smooth roads, respectful drivers, proximity to two airports, and a wide variety of routes to choose from make Girona the perfect base for a professional cyclist – and in turn the perfect destination for a cycling holiday or training camp.

As a result, the city has become a European mecca of cycling, bringing with it an explosion of cafes and bike-related business in the past decade.

I eventually narrowed my route down to two options: mountains to the north of the city or a coastal loop. Both are among some of the most popular Girona loops and are prime training grounds for the professionals who reside here.

Taking stock of my own current fitness level – very far from professional – I prayed that the latter would win out. Thankfully, Chris opted for the coast.

False start

After roping in a friend and fellow Girona resident, Jacob, for the ride, we meet up with Chris on an uncharacteristically cloudy morning.

We leave the city via one of the many bike lanes that connect to a network of gravel paths called via verde or ‘green route’, which run along a defunct railway line. Today, however, we’re heading along the tarmac lanes and towards the Costa Brava.

We have just climbed out of the city and passed through the tiny town of Fornells de la Selva when, clicking down a gear, I am confronted by a snap and a familiar emptiness in the shifter – my gear cable has gone.

I calculate whether this is a ride I can get through with only the small ring at my disposal before sense prevails and I realise I need to tell my companions about my ill-timed mechanical.

Chris and Jacob are thankfully understanding of my predicament and so begins the search for a nearby bike shop.

Nowhere is better equipped for such a conundrum than Girona. As Google Maps throws up a dense network of red pins all around us, we opt for the nearest one that doesn’t involve retracing our steps too much.

Fortunately, we have Chris with us today, with his Fiat 500 rental.

Jacob heads to a cafe in Fornells, while Chris and I set off on our mission with the bike.

After finding the first place closed (Google opening hours in Spain are not always to be trusted), we head to the second – where the helpful staff immediately set to work replacing the cable.

Around half an hour later, Chris and I are back on the road towards Fornells to reconvene with Jacob and pick up the ride where we left off.

We are now around an hour behind schedule but nobody is in a rush, so we cruise along the rolling lanes, heading inland now, and taking in the views of sweeping farmlands framed by mountains in the distance.

Thankfully, by now the sun has made an appearance as we traverse a patchwork quilt of repairs and lumps from tarmac that has seen too many hot summers and tractor tyres.

It would almost remind me of British country lanes, were it not for the sunshine and the seemingly endless procession of professional riders heading in both directions.

A group of male pros from various teams say a brief hello as they cruise past, chatting to one another, meanwhile an AG Insurance-Soudal rider comes flying past from the opposite direction.

Soon, the road opens up as we enter the tiny hamlet of Sant Andreu Salou with its picturesque church and small town square.

In the summer, this is an ideal spot to top up water bottles from the tap on the edge of the square as you take in the fields of bright yellow canola that surround the village.

On the subject of water, a few kilometres down the road we skirt past the small town of Caldes de Malavella, home of the popular sparkling mineral water Vichy Catalan, known for its slightly salty taste.

Sun trap

Turning right off the lanes and onto the bigger, main road, we navigate east towards Llagostera on our way to the main climb of the day, Sant Grau.

It’s not an easy climb at 8.6km with some steep pitches and, as my legs begin to complain, I once again find myself feeling grateful that we didn’t opt for the mountain ride.

The reward, however, is well worth the effort as the top of the climb opens out onto views of the Balearic Sea through the cork and pine trees.

The descent is sweeping and the road surface is in good condition, meaning we're able to enjoy picking up some well-earned speed as we drop down towards the coast.

Towards the bottom of the descent, the view of the sea and the remaining switchbacks below opens up with each corner until we reach a junction directly overlooking the water.

To our right is the small cove of Salionç, with the popular seaside resort of Tossa de Mar down the road, but today we're turning left and heading north to Sant Feliu de Guixols.

Hugging the coastline, we descend for a while before the road starts to kick up again – a pattern that continues all the way until the final, longer descent into Sant Feliu de Guixols.

With the view of the sea in sight for most of the way along the smooth and undulating terrain, as well as near-guaranteed sun, the road between the bottom of Sant Grau and Sant Feliu is one of the most stunning to ride in the area.

A word of warning, however, that it isn’t just cyclists who flock to this area in peak times: tourists and holidaymakers descend on the Costa Brava during the summer months, making the roads busy and congested.

The best time to ride in Girona in general, but particularly the coast, is spring or autumn, outside the main holiday seasons and without scorching temperatures.

With over 50km of our ride complete, it’s time for a cafe stop in Sant Feliu de Guixols.

The extended version of this route incorporates the town of Platja d’Aro, which is home to the cafe Dulce Pikka – known amongst Girona cycling ex-pats as just ‘cake shop’. As the name suggests, it serves excellent cakes and is a regular haunt of the pros.

Thanks to my gear cable, there's no time to add on the extra kilometres today without danger of running out of daylight, so we opt for a beachfront bar in Sant Feliu.

These coastal towns are a shadow of their peak-summer selves at this time of year, meaning we have the whole terrace to ourselves.

Leaning our bikes up near to the table, we sit down and order a classic Catalan snack of bocadillos de tortilla (Spanish omelette sandwiches) and jamón (ham), as well as some cold drinks and coffee to keep us going – in warmer months, a beer and some patatas bravas would also go down a treat.

The danger of a cafe stop, particularly in a sun-soaked beach location, is the difficulty of getting going afterwards and it takes all of my remaining effort to muster the will to peel myself out of my chair and back into the saddle as I eye up the car.

Go the distance

Despite the initial appeal of a second trip in the Fiat, I’m soon glad to have chosen two wheels rather than four to take me back to Girona as we turn off the busy roads leading out of Sant Feliu and start the gradual ascent towards Romanyà de la Selva.

This is the last significant challenge of the day and the road is mostly downhill thereafter, so we enjoy the tree-lined climb, fuelled by our cafe stop.

As we reach the top, the road forks with the option to head right for Romanyà or left to head back down towards Llagostera; today we are taking the latter.

The wide, sweeping downhill is a welcome reprieve after the climb but, in keeping with the rest of the terrain on this ride, the road soon rises again as we approach the outskirts of Llagostera.

If you’re inclined to avoid the busier roads then you can loop back through Llagostera and along the lanes from the beginning of the ride.

With it being the quieter month of February, though, we opt to take the wider and faster C-65, which takes us pretty much straight back into Girona via Cassà de la Selva – a town known for its cork production.

On the way into Girona, we pass the bottom of the infamous Els Àngels climb.

There’s no temptation – at least on my part – to tackle that one today, but it’s often at the top of the list of Girona cycling boxes to tick.

Instead, we continue along the same road until we reach the outskirts of the city and the ride finishes in the same way it started: on a bike path.

Soon after, the cobbles of the Pont de Pedra bridge welcome us back to the old town.

With its view of the pastel-coloured buildings flanking the river Onyar that perfectly frame the Cathedral in the distance, this is a popular spot for a photo op, and Chris has us setting up a shot.

After admiring the view and pondering what, exactly, the animals we can see swimming in the river are (a semi-aquatic rodent called a Caipu), we head our separate ways.

As someone who lives here, it’s as easy to take the charms of the old town and impressive architecture of the cathedral for granted as it is to forget just how excellent the roads and cycling culture on offer are.

Seeing the area through fresh eyes in order to write this has me itching to reach for my bike again. Maybe I should take it for a service first though.