Getting Ready for the new Bikecat Trans-Pyrenees tour

Last year, we organized the Spanish Trans-Pyrenees trip for a group from the US going from the Eastern Pyrenees all the way to the Atlantic in the Basque Country. As we were preparing the trip, we discovered so many nice roads and beautiful villages along the way that we started to imagine a similar trip, but with time in each place to get to know it a little better. The new tour will cover part of the Pyrenees region but with more nights in each place, no need to pack every night, leaving us more time to enjoy and relax. Here are some pictures from our trip last week to finish the preparation for this year´s Trans-Pyrenees tour with Rob's group from Calgary.

Here is Jaume getting ready for work in the morning:

Looking for lunch stops that offer more than a ham and cheese sandwich

That was one mighty piece of bacon in my salad Jaume happily ate.

Finding that perfect balance between challenging and fun!

Have to be in good enough shape to keep up with everyone:)

Patience

And most importantly, finding those little roads that keep you coming back for more!

We hope we can continue offering Bikecat cycling tours for many years to come!

Oops! Depending on who you meet on the road, sometimes it is more challenging than others...i can´t help it.

Celler de Can Roca

We are all very happy for El Celler de Can Roca, recently named the best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine. Congratulations!



El Celler opened in 1986 by the chef Joan and sommelier Josep and a few years later, their younger brother the pastry chef, Joan joined them. The three brothers attribute their love of food to the stews their mother made while growing up in the local restaurant also named Can Roca.


A few years ago, we enjoyed dinner here with the Endurance group and it really was amazing. Every bite was like, ¨how could this possibly taste so good!¨.
I kind of wonder if we will bring a group to this restaurant again...since it seems you will have to make reservations a year or so in advance. But they deserve it and we are happy that the local cuisine has achieved such recognition.



There are many wonderful restaurants in the area we can recommend and enjoy with you, all benefitting from the fresh local ingredients. We wait for you here in Girona, home of the best restaurant in the world! Sounds pretty good!

Sa Tuna

The beautiful Costa Brava beckons as the spring brings summerlike afternoons and cool sweater candle evenings.

The article Sa from Sa Tuna is from what they call ¨salty¨ Catalan, from the sea. Previously isolated villages along the coast and on the Balearic Islands speak with a different accent and expressions. In standard Catalan, the article would be el/en/lo or la and in ¨salty¨ Catalan, the articles are es/so or sa(feminine).

Sa Tuna is a wonderful little cala or cove located down the hill from the town of Begur. From here you can take the Camí de Ronda (path along the coast) in both directions to get different perspectives of the coastline and access more private calas, especially useful in the summer when there are many people.

In the area you can see many Indianos, mansions built around 1900 after sailors came back from the Americas where they had sought their fortunes and came back to settle down.
There are several little hotels to stay and relax after a bike tour...or anytime. July and August aren´t really recommended for the crowds and how that makes everything a bit less charming.

La Calçotada

This past weekend we partook in a great Catalan tradition: La Calçotada!

A Calçotada is a get together of friends and family for a backyard afternoon calçot feast in late winter or early spring.

Calçots are a special type of green onion originally from the Valls area south of Barcelona. The tradition of the Calçotada has reached nearly all areas of Catalunya. There are restaurants that specialize in them and they usually give you a big bib and gloves, or better yet, make them at home.

 The calçots are grilled, wrapped in newspaper to stay warm and grow more tender and then traditionally served on curved roofing tiles. While the grill is still warm, you can throw some botifarra on the grill, large sausages, to enjoy at the end of the meal.

Now, to tell the novices from the experts, no bibs or gloves, time to get good and dirty. You hold the onion with the bulb part down and gently slide the outer layers of the onion down. Then dip the onion in romesco sauce, tilt your head back and eat up the tender parts of the onion. When all the calçots are gone, you can try to stuff yourself with a botifarra or two.

I would have more pictures, but I had to hurry up and eat while there were still calçots left!
At the end, you can only hope someone still has the energy to go make coffee.
Time for a walk around the village.

La Volta Ciclista a Catalunya

La Volta a Catalunya is the fourth-oldest cycling stage race in the world. It was held for the first time in 1911, only behind the Tour de France (1903), Tour of Belgium (1908) and the Giro d´Italia (1909).

An early hero of la Volta and a 7 time winner was Mariano Canardo who, when he won his last Volta in 1939 the banner read ¨Year of Victory. Franco Franco Franco¨ of course referring to the winning side of the war and the beginning of the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

In the years after the civil war and of WWII, the racers and most people were mainly concerned about earning enough to eat but still their passion for the sport kept the race going.

With Joaquim Rodriguez ¨Purito¨

This is the 93rd edition of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya and there is an amazing group of riders: Bradley Wiggins, Joaquim Rodriguez, Christian Vande Velde, Dan Martin, David Zabriskie, Chris Horner, Alejandro Valverde, Ryder Hesjedal, Michele Scarponi and many others.

Today it was certainly exciting to see the start of la Volta in Calella. We have been going to see stages of la Volta for many years and this was the first time it was packed with spectators! There were so many people checking out the cool team cars and trucks, all the new equipment and bikes for the year, walking through and hearing the cyclists yell at their buddies they haven´t seen since last season in many different accents and languages is just thrilling.
Three stages of the Volta come nearby, with Tuesday´s stage starting in Girona. We will be rooting for the local team Garmin, and of course one of the favorites to win Joaquim ¨Purito¨ Rodriguez, a local Catalan.

You can´t help but feel admiration for all of the riders as they show their Incredibly toned racing form, standing next to them can make you feel like a couch potato..or something like that.

Here at Bikecat we wish all of the riders a great race and a wonderful time in Catalonia!

Girona Classics Tour

The Classics are the typical rides the pros do when they train in Girona: Els Angels, Sant Hilari, the Olot Loop, Santa Pellaia (also called the Hincapie Climb),the Costa Brava (amazing ride along the Mediterranean coast), and the challenging Rocacorba and Mare de Deu del Mont climbs.

Mare de Deu del Mont

May 26 - June 2, 2013 Bikecat presents the Girona Classics Tour. A tour everyone can join. You don´t have to be a part of a group, club, etc. to join this tour. We will need at least 6 people to make this tour a go.  Come and see why so many pros choose to live and train in Girona.
We will treat you better than a pro as you have door to door airport transfers, 4 star hotel experience, and support van full of all the goodies. The option to rent a racing bike from the Garmin team, Cervelo or Felt, will make the experience complete.
In the evenings, relax and enjoy little Girona and its many wonderful restaurants and museums.

www.bikecat.com/girona-classics-tour/

Weekend Packages

Bikecat Local Guides: Jordi

Cycling Packages: Guided and Self-Guided

Are you looking to ride in Girona and just have a couple days? Check out Bikecat´s Weekend Packages to experience Cycling in Girona´s finest on a short schedule. Stay in the same four-star hotels as our week-long tours, enjoy lunch or a coffee stop at our favorite spots, and explore the beautiful town of Girona in the evenings.

Our rental bikes are from the Garmin Team. We have a selection of Cervelo and Felt, top-of-the-line racing bikes to make your experience more complete. Would you like to ride the roads the pros do on David Zabriskie´s bike, or how about David Millar´s? This is your chance!

You can choose a Weekend Package with a guide or with a gps. All of our guides are from Girona and are fluent in Catalan, Spanish and English, experts on the routes and love cycling! You will be well cared for! If you prefer to do it yourself, check out our Weekend Packages with GPS. You will be provided with a Garmin gps and a map with the route and profile. Choose the package that works best for you!

Cycling in Girona with the pros

Bikecat´s rides are designed for the intermediate to the advanced recreational rider. We have a huge variety of routes to choose from, 40 to 100miles (65-160km), with different profiles to challenge your abilities. Please see our website for more information under Bike Tours and Weekend Packages to see the different options.

Your package includes:

• Accommodation in an exclusive 4 star hotel in Girona.
• Hearty breakfasts.
• High end racing bike from Team Garmin
• Garmin GPS with preloaded routes or a Guide
• Energy bars, and sport drinks
• Lunches in guided rides package
• Insurance

Discover Girona with Bikecat

The Best Escudella Soup in the World Ride

Let’s begin with what Escudella i carn d'olla is, or for short, escudella, is one of the most typical dishes in Catalan cuisine. It is a traditional soup and stew. It is the first referenced soup in Europe, first documented in the 14th century.

Escudella is typically served in two parts:

The escudella proper is a soup consisting of a broth with pasta (galets).

The carn d'olla is all the meat used in the broth, served afterwards on a tray along with the vegetables used.

After Jordi told me about this place known for this soup, I knew we had to try it. We planned a ride, out to lunch and then back to Girona, with a few guys and met Pep, the cook, at the restaurant.

They brought us a couple of big pots of escudella for 10 people. It was delicious. They recommended not to have more than 2 bowls. I had 3.

Next round. La carn d’olla showed up on a huge plate. To our surprise, that was for half the table. Soon we were brought another plate with more stuff. Potato, chickpeas, cabbage, meatballs and all the other meat parts used for the stew. Filled up my plate two times and that was more than enough.
Time to go back. Jordi and Marc had to pick up their kids in Girona.

Quick Catalan cream and cafe solo for dessert. Time to stand up, pay for the menu, and get on the bikes. Hard work after a few pounds in our stomachs.

Luckily most of the way was downhill.

We have to go back!

Will you join us?

Cycling in Girona, Looking back at 2012

We are ready to show you new roads in 2013

In 2012 we sure had a good time getting to know so many new friends and have old friends return. We are proud to have opened the new Bikecat Botiga Ciclista, all ready with our coffee machine or post-ride cerveza, to watch the grand tours of 2013.

Here is a look back at 2012. Hope you enjoy!


In 2013, we are excited to offer self-guided rides with gps. The roads around Girona have great variety but can be tricky just using a map, especially since we like to ride on the smallest roads possible. This is a good option for those who prefer to find their own way.  

December in Girona

Those of you cyclists who have considered riding in Girona in December, we highly recommend it! At night the temperatures can be in the 30s but during the day in the 50s (2-14 degrees celcius), so you don´t have to feel bad about sleeping in, enjoying breakfast and going for a ride at 11am. The days are usually sunny and the best part of all, there is hardly any traffic on probably the most amazing road, the coastal road!

Other things to enjoy this time of year, is the wonderfully curious tradition of the Caga Tió. You can see this figure in the holiday markets, the most famous of which is the Santa Llúcia market in Barcelona, and shops around town. Starting today, Dec. 8th, children all around Catalonia will start feeding their Caga Tió(or *hitting log) a little each night, so that it will *hit out presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day when they hit it with sticks and sing a song.
Another scatalogical figure to enjoy by kids of all ages is the Caganer (the *hitter) that cannot be missed in any manger scene (even the live ones) all around Catalonia. Every year they make funny ones according to what is going on politically or culturally in the world.

We are also at the tail end of the wild mushroom ¨hunting¨ season. In the Fall, it is custom for people to go to their favorite places in the woods and mountains to look for ¨bolets¨ (wild mushrooms). Every restaurant has special seasonal recipes to incorporate the many varieties found here into their cuisine. 

Pyrenees in November

Last week we took our chances with the weather, in the middle of November it is always possible that there is already snow in the Pyrenees. We did a scouting trip to two of the areas to prepare the new Pyrenees trip. The snow in the Winter blocks many winter passes and small roads making it impossible to set the courses.
This tour sprouted from a tour we organized this summer, La Transpirinaica, on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees from Catalonia to Basque Country and ended in the beautiful city of San Sebastian. For this tour we made many discoveries and felt ourselves wanting to linger in each place much longer. There are always so many roads to try! We found our all-time favorite cyclable road ever, through La Cañon de Anisclo, on a tiny road at the bottom of a canyon above a gushing stream.
This time we will still have the Trans-Pyrenean goal, but with time to appreciate sleeping in the same bed a couple nights and getting to know each area more intimately.
We so look forward to bringing the group to each area and on each special ride. We will even spend one day crossing into France and experiencing two mountain passes highlighted in the Quebrantahuesos, the largest Granfondo in Spain. More to come...

Cyclist Magazine Outing

This past Tuesday we headed out with some guys from Cyclist Magazine, a new cycling magazine based in London. They had a very ambitious route planned of about 160km with two good climbs, Amer and Rocacorba (if you know these, you know you wouldn´t normally want to do them in the same day..). I would call it an epic ride myself.
Their philosophy is to actually do the entire ride and not just go and have a pretty picture taken along the way. I admire that and had a good time driving their energetic photographer Paul around.

We started out as a good group with Jordi and friends from Calgary doing Les Serres together. A pro rider named Tanel Kangert on the Astana team accompanied us about half-way through the ride. Then, two British one Turkish, and the two Catalans, David and Jaume finished the ride going through the volcanic area and enjoying lunch in Santa Pau.

Ahead was the climb everyone was waiting for, Rocacorba or now sometimes called ¨The Cobra¨, that has become very popular with professionals in Girona. At the top, we all took a few minutes to enjoy the late afternoon view, now it was well after 6pm. We look forward to seeing the ride highlighted in an upcoming Cyclist Magazine issue! Thanks for the great day.
Debbie

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!