Girona, home to somewhere between 100 and 200 pro cyclists (and at least two teams), must be without a doubt THE cycling center of Europe. I suppose the other contender would be Majorca, which I’ve heard is absolutely littered with riders (I’ve been there, but it was years ago and in August, when only the truly insane would go), but my guess is that Girona wins on the ‘cycling experience’ front, especially if you are a cycling fan.

I’ve been crossing the border to ride out of Girona since 2015, and 44|5 Cycling Tours has been running tours there since the year after. We have seen many changes over these years and have wondered if it would all get out of hand at one point. After our trip there last week we are comforted that we have a few more years before it gets too big for its britches.

Girona is a mid-sized city with a great amount of history to keep riders and non-riders alike busy. The old town has a myriad of atmospheric lanes and alleyways, Eiffel-made bridges, and some Game of Thrones filming locations.

The city also hosts lots of bike shops, ‘cycling cafes’ and pro-owned restaurants. The one that started them all off is La Fabrica, owned by Amber and her ex-pro husband, Christian Meier (who I interviewed when he was still making money riding his bike), and who are still offering wonderful food at their cubby-holed position in the old town.

And then there’s the riding. I’ve been down on Girona in the past because riding out (and back in) of the city nearly always entails getting on some big-ish roads and/or traveling through industrial estates. This time around I wasn’t as bothered by all that for some reason and all our clients loved the riding overall. We did 4 rides that all had unique characters: the must-do ‘Hincapie Loop‘ that starts right out of town and includes two fabulous climbs of easy grades. This could be one of the best 60km rides in Europe. The next day we rode to the Mediterranean, with a good hour or more along the sea. The 3rd day sent us southwest into the hills and our last day towards the foothills of the Pyrenees.

Honestly though, my view on Girona is that yes, the riding is great, but the best part is that once you’re done that ride you have a whole host of nice places to eat and drink at afterwards….many of them cyclist oriented. Oh, and don’t get me started on kit shops! Bring your credit card and make sure the limit is pumped up, that’s all I have to say about that.

So yeah, we’ll be back, Girona. See you next April.