Al Noreste de España

Cycling the Northeast of Spain

By John Braynard

I failed Spanish class in highschool. All of my Spanish is based around Latino words I've picked up from American culture. Stuff like "Mamasita" - "Muchachos" and the obvious "Bad Hombre" are the limit of my vocabulary.

I've always favored the Italian Dolomites and Tuscan countryside overlooking Spain as a cycling destination. After a few city trips to Barcelona and stories of Germans Gone Wild in Mallorca, I never really gave Spain a second thought. I always associated the country with nightlife, tapas, and beach resorts filled with drunk Europeans - never cycling.

So, it's easy to say that Spain has never really been on my radar as a spot to invest money and time to go ride a bike in.

The past 3 months have completely changed my opinion.

Technically, I've only been just south of Barcelona, Girona, and Mallorca. However, there is enough riding in these regions to blow your fucking mind. It's paradise. Here are a ton of photos and a very few words about each spot that might wet your tongue for Paella and riding bikes.

MALLORCA

Last Christmas in Mallorca meant empty roads with my favorite riding partner. The food was amazing and the sky was the bluest I've ever seen. We road all the famous roads you've probably heard the names of a billion times. I've heard people say that this island paradise is Disneyland for cyclists. It's damn true. Luckily, the island is always filled with other cyclists - so we had the opportunity to ride with a handful of good friends.

It's a guaranteed good time for bikes, sun, and if timing if right - no drunk Germans.

CAMBRILS

After months and months of my friend Fernando (everyone needs a Spanish friend named Fernando in their lives!) explaining to me about how amazing the riding is in Cambrils, I bit and booked a long weekend along with a handful of good friends. His exact words were "Mallorca is shit compared to Cambrils". In retrospect, I agree.

We ended up booking our trip at the same time as the Campus Melcior Mauri. So, there were lots of organized rides with some killer routes planned ...ohh and 5-time Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain was there too.

My group of misfits and I took a more relaxed approach and rode a few of the official routes, but also broke off to check out some of the more picturesque roads in the region. This decision paid off. The region is dank. So many climbs, roads, ocean views, and tapas.

The highlight was certainly the road along the Montsant mountain range. We rode for almost one hour without seeing a single car on pavement that would make Col de Soller look like a Lidl parking lot.

Girona

I admit it. I was only in Girona for a day and a half when I passed through it on a bike tour 4 years ago. However, it was surprising to say the least. The city atmosphere was energetic and the filled with cycling culture. The roads along the coast up to Portbou were riveting to say the least.