A few weeks ago I finally had the opportunity of visiting one of the Southern European cycling “meccas”. Girona, in Catalunya, is described by many as a real cycling hotspot, one of the few places where you can really find cycling oriented cafeterias, restaurants and boutique bike shops everywhere.

Service Course is one of them, and this year they came up with GiRodeo, a gravel event in collaboration with Enve (from which they borrowed the name).

Repete, the brand of both my bikes, invited me and others  to be a part of these 4 days enjoying the latest autumnal warm temps and dry weather.
I was able to attend, along with many other guests, a calendar full of events.

On Thursday, after we arrived and had a quick stroll around the old city, we went for some drinks and tapas  at the Mirador de Can Pi where many models of custom bikes were on display.

Tapas and bikes is definitely a great combo and it  was an opportunity to meet and socialize  with many others in the cycling business from all over the world.

The following day we finally had the chance to jump on our bike and go for a ride. We ended up doing 90 km with more than 60 of them gravel finishing at the Doskiwis Brewery in Rupia.

The route we did was certainly not as I was expecting: many narrow and single track stretches with rocky descends and lots of sand as soon as we were getting closer to the coast.

A demonstration that flat doesn’t always mean easy. It was tougher than I expected but still fun and the organization was really spot on. The Service Course organized a transfer for 40 people plus bikes by the end of the day from the brewery to Girona. Again another opportunity to share  great moments with other gravel fanatics.

Saturday was the day of the main event, where everyone, just buying a ticket, could participate. Being a long route, 127 km and 2000+ m of elevation gained, the start was arranged for 8 am. More than 100 people showed up and the guys at The Service Course decided to split the peloton in at least 3 groups to avoid creating much trouble with traffic. 

This time we went North, towards the mountains of Catalunya. I really enjoyed the route even though it was one of those days where you can’t waste energy at all for taking many photos. As often, even if this isn't a race, the pace was high and the peloton remained compact up until the start of the climbs. I bunched up with my friends from Repete with whom I shared the majority of the ride, but after the second food station I decided to keep carrying on my own avoiding to stop for long. On occasions like this, I am always mindful about my body and with 60 km left I didn't want to run the risk of upsetting my stomach. I ended up sharing the rest of the few kms left with some guys from Girona. They turned up being a great company and having them as a side was a great opportunity for me to ask things about the Catalan culture.. For once I felt like not being a guide but a guest. Again, I think it is great if you can enrich your experience while riding if you have knowledgeable people next to you being able to comment on every aspect of the landscape you see, for example

After the whole ride, which took up more than 6 hours, towards the evening we met at the Service Course for some pizzas and more chats. Very long day but rewarding. Despite the length I really enjoyed the route. 

From what I saw up to that point the gravel you can do in the area of Girona is not the scenic gravel you can do in Tuscany (still the best place for it in Europe) but you can certainly ride along quiet trails and roads for many many miles.

After a long day like Saturday  we still had another ride planned for Sunday. It was meant to be a 60 km mixed terrain social between all the VIP participants. The route took us this time South where the landscape is very Mediterranean and rolling hills were the mood of the day.

I actually really enjoyed the itinerary the guys at The Service Course proposed, maybe also because between the whole 3 days this time we had the opportunity of riding and cresting the hills with open views.

The pace as well was very relaxed so definitely a great opportunity of losing up the legs after a few intense rides. 

I must admit the effort I saw  from the organizers was a lot and the result was great. 

My taken from these days in Girona?

Well, despite the fact that I am still convinced that the Tuscan gravel experience is unbeatable (scenic landscape, amazing food, welcoming people, and fine gravel roads) Girona is a valid alternative. Seems everything is already there and well taken care of, the community as well is pretty big and there are groups of cyclists of any level, at any time.

I loved Catalunya for what I saw and perhaps I might think of adding a tour there too between my offerings. Would you consider joining it?

Last but not least: 

Shout out to Oniria Cafe for the best Oat cappuccino in Town (with Oatly -who knows, knows-). 

Oscar for providing Sports Gels and Energy bars along the rides, no doubt the best I ever tried in my life and a huge thanks REPETE for letting me tag along them and giving me the opportunity of being there representing the brand with other amazing people.