Girona 9 July 2018 Day three - racing butterflies

Its funny how you treat yourself to the things you need, want and deserve even though while they are happening you wonder in incredibly deep introspection one's own sanity.

Today we did the second or third biggest climb on a bike up a hill ever. Its complicated.

After a quick breakfast of muesli we rode over to the roundabout carpark in the north of Girona centre and loaded up, drove south to Sant Celoni.  Found parking and rolled into Placa Major for breakfast from a bakery. Lovely ham and cheese sandwich for me, sweets for some, and coffees (solo) all round.  The tendency for Spaniards to use UHT milk is questionable so we have started ordering black coffees.

We rolled out of town, a bit of up a bit of down, some flat then up.

Unrelentingly for almost 30km up to a mile high at 1620m, from a start at around 100m.

SuperModel took off like a rat up an aqueduct.

I managed to ride strongly with Le Membre and OberGruppenFuhrer until about 15km but something clicked and I couldnt sustain the pressure. Buble Boy was riding his own race slightly behind.


It was quite warm and I was really starting to sweat a lot. Drank one bottle quickly and tried to conserve as I wasnt sure when we could refill.

A couple of skinny bastards passed me "Bon Dia" "Ola"

Through a tunnel, just tapping away at the pedals as we rose through the forest. So nice to watch the valley floor get further away. Not much traffic, moving slowly, racing butterflies up the hill.

Approached a left turn and the three mountain goats await in the shade. I join them and wait a few moment for BB to roll in.
Take the left road, a bit of pleasant downhil and then the road rises up, and the road surface gets shitty. Steeper we see some 12% sections.

OGF has really mapped out a cracker of a ride. Get to a carpark and a gate prevents cars and motorbikes but the sign doesnt mention bicicletas, so up we go with the walkers. Its almost a goat track and then we are at the top, SM takes the honors and a helipad and alpine meadow and 360 degree views downwards.

Photos, many photos

Roll down through the chopped up road, back to the shadowed interesection and then ride uphill for about a kilometre and OGF excels again and finds a hotel restaurant among the trees. Beers, sandwiches, Vichy Catalan water (yum) and refreshed we prepare for the plummet.
Plummet to apparently ordinary coffees because I had my 2018 cocacola. Cold, sugar caffeine.

We work out how to return to the cars and roll back to Sant Celoni.

GPS wants us to go via the light industrial areas, eventually LM and myself get back onto the expresssway to Girona.


Back into the flat we wash up, upload rides and then head downtown to collect OGF from his place and into the main walking street for Aperol Spritz again.
A lovely meal in a local Placa just one street away from the touristy bit and served excellently and professionally by a very attractive humourous woman in a little black dress.

Beer, wine, croquetes, calimari, hummus, all very yum.
Back, crash and pack for the transition to Beaudean in the French Pyrennees tomorrow, it will be a long drive.

Ride stats here