Discover great road bike routes for your cycling holidays in Girona
That Girona is a cycling paradise is no longer a secret. Professional cyclists spend long periods in the city and tourists from all over the world come in search of good weather and incredible routes.
The privileged location of Girona, halfway between the Costa Brava and the Pyrenees, means that the variety of landscapes and cycling routes is infinite, suitable for all levels. Furthermore, this has fostered a very genuine cycling environment in the city.
Therefore, today we are going to explain some of our
favourite road cycling routes, which you can find in our
Komoot profile:
A classic Girona Road bike route, also known as the Hincapie Loop after former professional cyclist George Hincapie, one of the first to discover Girona as a perfect place to live and cycle.
The Pont de Pedra, in the middle of the Barri Vell, is the emblematic start of the route, even for professional cyclists. Once you leave Girona comes the first climb to Els Àngels, one of the most famous in Girona. It is not too long or strong, ideal for warming up. Crowning the port, you descend towards the Empordà with its charming medieval villages such as Monells, the perfect place to stop and have a coffee.
With renewed energy, the climb to Santa Pellaia arrives, very popular among professional cyclists for its smooth and constant gradient. It is a little longer than Els Àngels but similar in hardness. The descent, fast and fun, leads to Cassà de la Selva.
The last section towards Girona is flat and runs between general roads. One of the most iconic road cycling routes, not too long and ideal for enjoying the landscapes of the Les Gavarres natural area.
A very beautiful and demanding bike route: Rocacorba is one of the toughest mountains in Catalonia, with slopes of up to 15% and many sections above 10%. Due to its hardness, it is common to find professional cyclists, even the Garmin team used it as a test bench to analyse the performance of its runners.
The pass begins smoothly until kilometer 5, when the first 10% slopes appear. After a kilometer with an average of 8.2%, there is a small break, perfect to take a breath for what is to come: from kilometer 7 to 11, the average gradient remains around 10% with peaks of 15%. At kilometer 11 comes another break that helps to face the last kilometer.
The effort on the bike is worth it: once we reach the top, the view is spectacular. At the top we will find the Mare de Déu de Rocacorba sanctuary, on top of a rock with spectacular views of the Cap de Creus massif, Canigó, Collsacabra, Montseny, les Gavarres or the Illes Medes.
Leaving Girona with your road bike, head towards Les Serres, within the natural area of La Vall del Llémena. Les Serres is a very pretty secondary road with two steep slopes with gentle slopes. Once you reach Amer, turn off to go to Sant Martí Sacalm. The ascent, also known by the locals as the firemen's ascent, due to its proximity to the fire station, begins with a steep slope. The hardest part of the beginning lasts about a kilometer. Once the hardest sector of the ascent has been overcome, the slope decreases, but always remains around 7%.
Although most of the ascent is surrounded by trees, sometimes there is a sector with good views. The slope is constant, and a constant pedalling cadence can be maintained on the bike. Once you have crossed the equator, you arrive at the Font de la Teula, where you can fill the drums if necessary.
In the final part the trees begin to disappear and suddenly the imposing Far appears. Although the first houses are already beginning to be glimpsed, this is not the time to be overconfident: there is still a little more to suffer on the bike to finish the couple of kilometers that remain to crown. At the top, you will enjoy very nice views of the rock and its surroundings before descending the same road and heading back to Girona.
For those who like to ride their bikes with views of the sea, this is the ideal route. Leave Girona towards Cassà de la Selva. Finished the plain, you will enter the massís de l'Ardenya, also known as massís de Cadiretes.
The climb to Sant Grau is about 9 kilometers with an average drop of 7%. The descent is beautiful with sharp turns. Once you arrive to Tossa de Mar, you will drive along the iconic GI-682 road to Sant Feliu de Guíxols. This section runs between rocks and the sea, with beautiful landscapes and a very nice road.
Arriving at Sant Feliu, head towards Palamós, where you will turn towards Calonge and la Bisbal de l'Empordà. This section back to Girona runs through the natural area of Les Gavarres.
Leave Girona and take the road towards Santa Coloma de Farners. Before arriving, you will pass through the secondary road of Brunyola, very quiet, beautiful and with a slight slope. In Santa Coloma de Farners you will start the ascent, practically without traffic since the construction of the Eix Transversal.
The climb is 14 kilometers, but affordable. Once you have reached Sant Hilari, the descent towards Osor will begin. The descent is very pleasant, surrounded by forest. In winter, you should be careful as it gets little sun and, due to the altitude, some parts can be wet. Once you reach Anglès, take the Les Serres road towards Girona.
One of the quietest road cycling routes as it runs mostly on secondary roads with little traffic.
These 5 routes are just a small example of the variety of roads and landscapes that you can find around Girona. If you are a lover of road cycling and want to see it first hand, grab your jersey and helmet and come and discover it.