Start riding in Girona — road cycling routes in Catalonia

When the rubbish German weather really begins to get on our nerves, we try to head to the south to take refuge. Together with our racing bike and the short BIB, we cycle towards the sun, often ending up at the usual winter escapes such as Mallorca and the Gran Canaria. This time, we wanted to try something new at FOCUS. Our team headed to Girona, the new cycling mecca, for its winter ride. So what did we think? We’ll let you know in this Collection.

Girona is the new favorite spot of many racing bike pros, and with good reason. Around 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Barcelona, the city is embedded in the mountains of the Catalan Costa Brava hinterland. A Mediterranean climate and roads that wind through the mountainous with little traffic, its proximity to the sea and, last but not least, the fact that there are only a few tourists during the off-season, make Girona the perfect destination for racing cyclists looking to emerge from hibernation and enjoy perfect biking conditions.

So now we roll through Girona’s world-famous old town of Girona down narrow streets lined by medieval buildings with thick walls. The flair in the old town is very special and we are immediately drawn to one of the cult cafés that will later come to mark the end of every bike ride. A coffee at the Espresso Mafia is an essential part of visiting Girona, just like Ballermann belongs to a summer holiday in Majorca. The only difference is that there are no drunken tourists to annoy you in Girona. Instead, you meet like-minded people everywhere as the city is totally bicycle-crazy! There are countless bike shops, bike cafés and hotels with great "bed + bike" offers. There are many good cycle paths leading through the city and, on weekends, the locals also get up early to start the day with sport.

We feel like we're in cycling heaven! And the best thing is that Girona is easy to reach. You can fly directly to Girona airport (although only with Ryanair from Bremen and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden) or take the express train. It’s also worth taking a detour to visit Catalonia’s capital Barcelona if you fancy some sightseeing en route. Spring and autumn are ideal for cycling as the temperatures are pleasant and there are hardly any tourists in the city, creating the perfect racing bike conditions. We show you our five favourite tours in this Collection. FOCUS in Girona – we are sure that you will have as much fun on the road as we had.

Do you want to experience even more FOCUS cycling adventures? Head this way: komoot.com/user/focusbikes/collections