Girona
So we went to Girona. It was kind of a dream of ours that had to eventually come true. Dreams need to come true—otherwise they get lost or forgotten, and that’s very bad.
Therefore, I’d like to tell you about our journey. In short. And mostly through photos.
This won’t be a guide like the ones you’re probably used to—a manual listing everything, packed with a hundred unnecessary details. That kind of thing isn’t needed. Most of the time, it kills imagination and independence, and takes away the whole point of traveling and discovering. The essence lies elsewhere: to inspire or excite. The more freely you go, the better. The more you try, the more you’ll experience.
This is just a spark. Feel free to use our routes—but there are plenty out there. Try different ones, get lost, discover something we missed. That’s where the fun is.
One small recommendation, though—there’s this café that’s really good, and I think you should know about it.
It’s pretty warm out here. In the distance, you can still see snowy peaks, but the sun has its spring power. Cyclists are everywhere, and the sterrato looks very promising!
We just wandered around, did some sightseeing, and had our first beer in a beer garden, beneath the sun. Yep, we’re both a little bit tipsy.
There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, just the bluest of blues I’ve seen so far. This was our shakedown ride—just to figure out what the roads are like, if there are any angry drivers, how warm it’ll get, and how steep the climbs are.
Turns out, the sterrato is primo—crunchy and fast! No angry drivers, it’s pretty warm, and the hills… well, after the winter, they’re definitely still there.
We got lost only once (my bad)—I got carried away by an awesome ribbon of trail, and I think that’s when I had my first flat tire. And, of course, our first post-ride beer.
Tomorrow, we’re doing it all over again—minus the flat.
Another day of clear blue skies with a light, chilly breeze. We went for a longer ride, aiming to reach the Mediterranean Sea and back.
But after the first 35 km—crossing a river six times, taking off our shoes and socks, tossing them to the other side, carrying the bikes over, searching for our shoes in the grass, putting them back on—riding 300 meters and doing it all over again… yeah, we lost a lot of time. So, we adjusted the route.
We saw the sea from a distance, and that was good enough for us. Along the way, we passed through some very pretty villages like Peratallada and Pals. We rode past apple farms, a beer brewery, and lots of gorgeous views.
The sterrato? Primo!
Just for the record, use this GPX file only if you're ready to cross a river six times. Otherwise, let me know, and I can retrack the route for you without the crossings.
Not a bluebird day. Clouds rolled in and hung around, bringing the temperature down a bit, but it was still warm.
We had a mostly flat-ish route planned, but after 25 km, Romka got a puncture. Looked like a thorn. Swapped the tube, pumped it up, and off we go! Fifteen minutes later—another flat. Alright, patch it, put it back in, pump it up, and off we go again.
The route was perfect—mostly primo, crunchy gravel. Just check the photos. At one point, we rode through a stretch of road with two prostitutes posted at either end. Didn’t know that was still a thing.
Anyway, we climbed the biggest hill of the ride, bombed down half the descent, and—Romka flatted again. I popped the wheel off, and the patch hadn’t held.
Last resort: the expensive WTB plastic inner tube. Slipped the brown baby in, pumped it up, and off we go again. (Might just be me, but the plastic tube seems to pump up faster than a regular one.)
From there, it was easy sailing back to the city for a cup of coffee. Solid day!
Honestly, this was the best day here so far. Not gonna write about it—because it was awesome, and that’s all there is to say. Look at the photos, or better yet, hop on a plane and come see for yourself.
Okay, I’ll say one thing—riding and climbing mountains is better than… anything. Oh, and we climbed Rocacorba. A savage piece of rock!
A solid day in the saddle and the sterrato? Primo, again!
Our final day on the bikes. The sky looked like it might rain, but it stayed warm all day. We planned a short loop—just enough to say goodbye to all the amazing dirt roads—and wrapped it up with food and coffee at the best spot we found here: La Fàbrica. If you're here, we both definitely recommend checking it out.
The sterrato? Primo, as usual! A bit windy, but it was all good.
And that’s all, folks! Thanks for all the kudos on Strava—and seriously, you should come here and try it for yourself.
We took a full day off the bike to wander the city, go for a little hike, sit around, eat, drink coffee, buy some souvenirs—for us and for our friends—and just rest our legs after five back-to-back days of riding.
It’s been an awesome time. So many new roads explored, new experiences, and honestly, just a whole lot of new everything. It was a blast.
We went to bed early, with an early flight waiting the next morning.
Thank you, Girona—you were really good to us.
And if you still have questions, feel free to shoot me a message. I’ll be happy to chat and maybe point you in what might be the right direction—or is there even such a thing as the right direction? I don’t know.
Thanks for browsing.
