Girona Cathedral Sunset

Across the square the other day while we were saying goodbye to London based Hugh, we saw this beautiful yellow streak hitting the stone. Had to run to catch the golden sunset on the cathedral, really spectacular. Sometimes there is more to life than cycling...

Bikecat Botiga Cyclista

This July we opened our very own bike center in the heart of the old city of Girona. From here, you can get ready for the rides, try on Cycling in Girona clothing, and hang out to watch the tour. In the shop you will find spare tires, CO2, tubes, power bars and gels, Girona water bottles, bikes and other cool stuff. We have a deluxe expresso machine ready to be used for the cooler months. You will find us between the cathedral and Hotel Historic in Placa dels Lledoners. We look forward to sharing this space with old and new friends. 

The weeks go by and training is starting to give its fruits. It's almost summer and I´m feeling stronger. As always, and despite all the riding we've done during the first months of the year, base miles don't start kicking in until it's sunny and hot. The fields start turning golden, and the first sunflowers show up. Everyday on the bike feels good and brings memories of my childhood summers in Caldes. Sitting in the patio in the afternoons watching the Tour de France and going for a ride just after its finish. Emulating Perico and Indurain, trying to reach speed and keep their averages for a few kilometers. The stars were on tv and I only saw them during the Semana Catalana, La Volta a Catalunya, or the few times La Vuelta came by the area.

Girona has changed, changed a lot, but in our cyclist´s eyes, we still see and ride the same roads. Places that hold memories, attacks and falls; the first 100k, the first 200, that day it hailed or rained so hard, everything still exists and comes up when we ride by.

I still ride, more than ever and enjoy the company of friends like Jordi, Toni, and Oscar during everyday rides. Girona has also become home for many professional cyclists, whom we often see on the roads, sometimes at human speeds, where we can greet them and spend a few kilometers together. Other times, you are lucky if they go by going the other way, because if they pass you during an interval training on a climb like Amer, you start thinking what's wrong with me...

Transpirinaica

We had a great time planning the new Bikecat Trans-Pyrenees Cycling Tour. I especially enjoyed seeing new parts of Spain with magnificent late Spring, snow-covered Pyrenees almost always within view. Starting in La Seu d´Urgell in the Catalan Pyrenees, you really appreciate how the culture, food, and even language changes across the country to Basque Country. From Catalan, to Spanish and then the impossible to understand Basque language (Euskera), which has linguists still puzzled over the origins. Landing in San Sebastian on the seaside will be the perfect way to end a week with plenty of challenging riding. I could still be out there wandering those peaceful roads...Debbie

Spring 2012

After coming back from Malaysia, we have had a few rainy weeks and it is finally starting to clear up. Now it is time to enjoy Spring! Back to cycling in Girona and Bikecat with custom cycling Tours and Guided rides.
Here are some photos from a Sunday outing with a group of friends to St. Hilari. Most of the group did the climb up Mare de Deu del Coll and others went straight on to the café in St. Hilari.   

Langkawi

This island off the northwest coast of peninsular Malaysia in the Andaman Sea and near Thailand is where the bulk of the riding will be during the tour; good roads, not much traffic, and with an island attitude perfect for vacation and cycling.
The island gives name to Le Tour of Langkawi, the largest race in Asia. A 10 day stage race through all Malaysia that, despite its name, only starts from Langkawi every two years.

We spent our days riding the island, and getting some good training for the start of the season in Girona. Jaume did the ¨Rocacorba¨ of Langkawi: Guning Raya at 881meters. 13km climb with steep sections up to 14%. On the top, the views of the island are well worth the effort. 
The tour will start here and will be the perfect place to get used to riding on the left side of the road. After-riding activities can include a cable car ride up to Mount Cinchang and the 2,300ft. above sea level Skywalk Bridge. If you are not wild about heights, you can go island hopping on a small boat, get a treatment at the spa, lounge at the beach or pool and there are water sports available right at the beach.

Langkawi is an archipelago of 99 islands, 4 of which are inhabited. It is duty free and probably the most popular tourist destination in the country. The main island, Palau Langkawi, consists of coastal plains, dramatic limestone ridges rising in the north end of the island, with beaches dotting the coastline. Two thirds of the island is forest-covered mountains, hills, and natural vegetation and was given Geopark status by UNESCO in 2007.

The islands resorts and hotels run the range from the über-luxurious to laid-back beach hangouts. We will stay at a place that has the best of both, a good place to recover and have a real vacation.

Georgetown Hotels

From renovated 100 year old Chinese shophouses to historic colonial British luxury, there is no end to the hotels on offer in Georgetown. We got a sneak peek of some of the hotels and chose our favorites where we can really picture guests relaxing at the hotel and within walking distance of everything to enjoy the city. Here are some pictures from the visits:

Penang Hill

I couldn't leave Georgetown without trying the climb to Penang Hill again. Last year I read about it and tried it. Blog entry 2011. I knew what was coming, 5 km with ramps at 35%. 16% average.
I didn't take the Felt, used Debbie's Orbea instead, with a compact 34 in the front, 28 in the back.

I tried to make it earlier, but it was already 11am. At least it rained last night and it's a bit cloudy. I left the busy streets of Georgetown behind and went by the botanical gardens.

Passed by the open barrier to the climb, the steep grade arrives quickly, 30%. No more gears. Standing up and giving everything to go 4-5km/h.

In the first 300meters, memories start coming from last year, realizing it's harder than I'd wanted it to be. There are marks every hundred meters, which change very slowly. By km1, I start to fade down and think about going home.

After a few minutes to take a breath, I keep going up. Some hikers cheer me on. One says, oh you must have a triple...huh...i wish!

1 hour later I am at the top!

Riding in Penang

Today reminded me of the days Jordi and I have gone out from Girona to explore alternatives and new rides. The conversation goes something like this, ¨Look! This is new, we never did that before. Where does this paved trail go? Oh, the pavement has ended…¨ If we’re lucky, the path is in good condition. If not, it turns into a hard mountainbike trail, with mud, plants…but it pays off if we find a good connection. Those are the days we may end up doing 3hrs and 35km of riding, destroying our legs. 

That was today. I left Georgetown. I wanted to climb up to a reservoir and try to reach the other end of the island. The map showed a road, or a trail with a different color than the other roads. Other riders said it could be done on a mountainbike… The first climb was hard, but having done Penang Hill before, I would call it medium hard. Once at the top, the road is what one may dream of when thinking about riding in the jungle. This is what the real experience in Malaysia should be.

The plains by the sea in the southeastern part of the island were also nice, and I took a few small roads through banana and palm trees, and rice fields.

I stopped for some fried noodles and iced coffee (kopi’o ais) to recover and consider the way back. Option 1: the direct easy way. Option 2: checking more options. Of course I take the second choice…

Debbie and I went for a ride and got a bit lost in the mountains. Needed a breath in some steep parts. A guy came by in a mountain bike and we followed him to the next town. The cemented path we went on was amazing and we had difficulties to follow him. At the bottom he bought us a drink and showed our way back to Georgetown just before dusk. The kindness of malays

Georgetown

While we are still deciding where the tour will start, we head north to Georgetown.

We are travelling with road bikes and just a suitcase for the two of us. It’s easier to travel and move around than last year, when were riding with panniers. Everything felt heavy and slow. This time we only have to take care of finding good riding, accommodation and food.

 Why Georgetown? Declared a UNESCO World heritage city in 2008, the city is bustling with life: the mixture of Malaysia’s three cultures Indian, Chinese and Malay are well differentiated in different parts of town. This also translates in the amazing food on offer, fine restaurants and hundreds of food stalls that serve the best Malaysian, Indian and Chinese dishes.

The construction of the traditional Chinese houses, built under Feng Shui rules, give the old city a special character. The hotels we selected combine old Chinese and Malay luxury and we see similarities with our Bikecat style.

Georgetown is on the little island of Penang and the riding, once you leave the busy center, is exhilarating. The trails in the jungle are very challenging and have some steep sections…

Then there is Penang Hill, which is definitely the hardest climb I have ever done.  4.5km and 700meters of total ascent, more than 15% average, with pitches around 30%! I highly discourage doing it, but on the last day of the tour, I´ll be happy to try it with you.

The Planning

We used our initial days in KL to meet up with Jeff, plan our stay and direct energies for creating the tour in Malaysia. Here we are enjoying Malaysian tapas, checking out the velodrome and the 2012 Asian Cycling Championships. Jeff brought us to nice places to plan the trip, like the birdpark café, where we could admire the hornbills. Jaume working from the heart at our hotel. Then we were off to Georgetown, Penang!

Cycling in Malyasia 2012

Malaysian Adventure 2012 begins
This year our time in Malaysia is to make it happen: Cycling Tour in Malaysia starting in 2013. We will meet up with Jeff, our local contact, do the rides, find the best restaurants and hotels, just like in Girona.

Off to Kuala Lumpur through Amsterdam and some quiet cramming time for learning Malay

Bikecat Cycling Tours - Cycling in Girona 

New website online. 

During the past few months, Debbie and I have been working with Xavier (La Imaginaria) and his never ending patience to edit hundreds of changes and photo contents. A long process that finally comes to light. The new website has been launched, same philosophy, cleaner design. We hope you like it and find your pictures and tours easily.

www.bikecat.com

Cap de Creus

Saturday I came along to enjoy the beautiful day and prepare for an upcoming tour that will bring us out to the Cap de Creus, the easternmost point of peninsular Spain. We started in Castello d´Empuries, important for being the capital of the Empuries county during the Middle Ages. I enjoyed the pastry shop and little squares while Jaume, Tom and Hugh started off on their ride. I met up with them for a relaxing lunch near the Cap de Creus lighthouse. Debbie

Don i Simon

Last year we got to meet Don during Easter vacation and this year he came back with his son Simon for some riding. The first day they headed out to Santa Pellaia with Jordi and really enjoyed the descent. Next they did Les Serres climb and rode on beautiful countryside roads. The last day, Don went on a discovery of medieval villages over the rolling hills in the Emporda. All days with sunny spring weather!

Pulau Perhentian Islands

To end the tour in the Perhentian Islands would be ideal. Snorkeling in the amazing coral reef with the possibility to see sea turtles and many colorful fish. Finding the perfect spot on a deserted white sand beach with a good book and daydreaming. Listening to the lapping waves from your chalet as you fall asleep at night.

I am sure we will have more cycling in Malaysia soon...

For now, see you back in Girona

Kota Bharu

In Gua Musang we woke up the next morning to pouring down rain. Feeling a little tired of rain, we decided to ditch the next couple days plan to ride to Dabong and go caving, and decided to head straight up to Kota Bharu. KB is a city in the northeast near the Thai border known for its amazing market. We enjoyed wandering around and trying different food. We rode up to the beach for ice cream without the bags and out to a must-do restaurant called Yati. (Jeff’s recommendation)

Tanah Rata to Gua Musang - 100km

Our next adventure was going to be the most challenging of our entire trip. 125km. Leaving Cameron Highlands would involve a bit more effort than what we´d done up until now, with it’s up and downs, +10% and -10%.... We were told, that it would only be for the first 25k. Then we’d have a 40km descent and easy terrain to the next village, Gua Masang. Yes, next village after 100k with nothing but jungle in-between.

So we made sure we had packed plenty of water and fruit for the route.
We woke up early, still dark. Had breakfast and time to realize it was raining. A local bus let us on since there were only a few people on the 8:30 bus. In Blue Valley, at the top of the descent, it was extremely foggy and blowing a sideways rain. We decided to have a 2nd breakfast of Roti, an Indian flatbread filled with banana and strawberry jelly, and hot tea while hoping the rain would end and fog would lift. No such luck, but we started the descent with good cheer and only a 100km to go, instead of 125!

The foggy weather disappeared quickly as we descended a few kilometers. The road was wide and no cars. The first part of the ride turned out to be very fast, yeah! going downhill, but not so long as we expected, as the road started to go up. 15km on the bike and we were climbing the unexpected hills, which were short and seemed to have a constant 9%!
To finish quickly, a supposedly flat ride turned out to be 1200meters of climbing, alternating sun and showers every 5 minutes. Dry, sweat, wet, dry, wet, dry, sweat…
In Gua Masang ready for bed.

The next day, after a good sleep, it was time to remember. It had been an epic ride. Crossing from Western to Eastern Malaysia through a remote forested area. We felt happy to have ridden it!

Cameron Highlands

We rode up from Ipoh on the bus, this being highly recommended by Jeff, with our bikes being stowed down below. Up we went through the amazing forest and curving roads to Tanah Rata, the main hub town. It would have been a 40km climb. Luckily, we skipped doing it under the rain.
Settled down in a little hotel just off the main street to work and enjoy the area for a few days. We got to see the exciting end of stage 4 of Tour de Langkawi with some new friends from England.
Met Jeff at our favorite restaurant in town while he had a coffee break and also met more organizers of the LTdL, they were so welcoming and happy to have us following the race.
On our last day, we went on a hike through unbelievably green tea plantations, up Mount Brinchang, through the mystical Mossy Forest and back down a jungle trail.
The Cameron Highlands was first developed by the British in the 1920´s, as a cool mountain getaway. (We understood why the British liked it so much because it rained on and off the four days we were there) The non-riders options of jungle trekking, visiting tea plantations, strawberry farms, and the ¨native¨ people who still live in the hillsides and villages, all make it a special place to spend a few days and discover this different part of Malaysia.

Le Tour of Langkawi 2011

Le Tour de Langkawi starts Sunday, and during these days we’ve seen the teams training and getting ready. Today was the Team Presentation and we were invited. The set up was impressive and they had an amazing opening ceremony with traditional dance. In fact, LTdL is the biggest Asian race, and the media covers every detail.

We are excited to see the start as the island gets ready with events and flags everywhere.