Understand where you’re going.

We went to Spain for the same reason many cyclists do.  Reasons largely uninteresting to anyone who has read a cycling trip article in the internet age.  What we found however, was quite interesting indeed. At a picturesque lakeside cafe in Catalonia, sitting upon a plate was a perfect metaphor for life, travel, and sport, and we couldn't help but laugh.

 

Girona was the destination, or at least the starting point and home base for our long week in Catalonia; the semi-autonomous region of Spain that has been in a decades-long fight for independence. Girona itself is old. Capital “O” old. Conquered by Charlemagne old. All of this makes for a history that is as rich and complex as the espresso that fueled our eight days of riding, eating, and exploring in Catalonia.

 

 

The understanding of history, especially recent history, can be one of the most useful things you bring with you during your travels. Everything that we as cyclists love about Catalonia; the rolling farmland, tiny 16th century villages, the smell of the air, the beautiful language, the pace of life, is what the Catalan people love and have fought voraciously to preserve. They have fought against facism, modernization, and time itself,  All to carry on a once common way of life.

In the darkest years, Spain came face to face with facism in the form of Francisco Franco. The Catalan language was outlawed, and the way of life disparaged. These attempts to dislodge catalan life , in ways both big and small, are still happening to this day.  That is why even a poor attempt to speak Catalan when ordering your café can ingratiate you with the locals.

Travel tidbit: Traveling is like soup. You get what you put in. Explore the whys.

To travel to a region and sample its roads, foods, sights, copious espressos and irrationally flaky pastries without a deeper curiosity about the why behind each of these things is to be a skimmer. The most rewarding travel happens when you seek more than to be entertained and unchallenged. If you ask the questions, you open yourself up to the possibility of connection; the opposite of skimming. Why is this pastry so effing flaky? Who laid the cobblestones that pass beneath our wheels, and who has protected their existence for 800 years? How is ham this delicious? A little curiosity goes a long way in a place with 1,00 years of history.

Traveling with a genuine curiosity brings you into the perspective of the people you meet along the way. You enter into their world as a humble guest looking to relate, not a tourist taking a selfie. Curiosity is more important than a map or a spare tube. It will provide more warmth than a Castelli Unlimited Puffy Jacket. The jacket that's very warm yet extremely packable for your adventure or multi day rides. With a woven microfiber windproof outer layer and Polartec® Alpha® Direct insulation. (but still bring that too) and it will take you to places that aren’t even on a map.  

Travel tidbit: Locals are the original GPS. ; Engage with them and try out your Catalan.  
They know the unlisted roads, the bail out spots, and the best cafes along the way to where you’re going. They’ll undoubtedly tell you the most scenic way to get to your destination. And If shit really hits the fan, they’ll probably take you there and buy you a drink.

Let go and let it in

Catalonia is a beautiful region with a beautiful language. And yes, the cycling throughout the region makes you want to repatriate with the quickness of a World Tour sprint.  From a cyclists perspective the city of Girona is almost comical in its “Girona-ness” at times. Around every corner there's a continuous who’s who procession of the UCI elite. You’ll find Tayler Wiles at one cafe, Nathan Hass at another, and end up shoulder to shoulder with Simon Gerrans as you each roll back into town from your shake out rides. It’s a funny place in that way; the dividing line between World Tour riders and everybody else seems to be suspended, until you try to hold their wheel.

For those of us who don’t have a 400+w FTP, but still want to jostle amongst the pros – simply roll into one of the cafes owned by former World Tour riders who have traded their Colnagos for La Marzoccos.  — When at a cafe like La Fabrica, there are pretty good odds that you’ll find yourself fighting for position with someone like Marc Soler, just as I did as we both surveyed the pastry selection, eyeing the last Xuixo.

 

The 4th wave coffee shop is a new arrival to Girona, and their draw is hard to deny. They’re expectedly sleek and stylish and you’re bound to bump into riders from Alpecin-Fenix or Trek-Segafredo, and that’s on a slow day. Plus the pastries are dusted with gold.  But to solely frequent these modern cathedrals of caffeine would only provide you with a narrow expression of a Catalan morning. The quintessential morning in the streets of old Girona starts with an early ride across town and over the Pont De Pedra, where on the corner awaits Fleca Oriell and their luminary croissants. For three euros you’ll be treated to pastry perfection and the warmth of a croissant in one hand and your first cafe americán of the day in the other. The owners of Oriell are as warm and welcoming as their buttery masterpieces. Upon my first visit I was encouraged to bring my bike inside, and welcomed with great patience to practice my early morning Catalan. After my second, third, and fourth visits - if only you could rack up frequent flier miles at a bakery -  I was met with a resounding “Bon Dia! Com era  teu ciclisme ahir?” (Good morning! How was your ride yesterday?). It’s this kind of hospitality and energy that sets apart the old from the new. Bakeries like Oriell feel like they could be run by your favorite Aunt, and when you’re there you feel like you’re part of the family, if only for a few minutes a day.

 

Travel Tidbit #3. Visit Oscar at the Castelli Store and enjoy the tidal wave of his “Bon Dia”

Step into the  Castelli store and you will hear Oscar before you see his energetic and bespectacled face. His thunderous and jovial Bon Dia! Is as much a command as it is a greeting. As if the sheer will of his personality will shape the day to come. I put out 30 more watts every time I think of Oscars’ hellos.

Know thy pastry as you know thyself.

After casually pedaling around town for a while, it will be time for espresso numero dos. For that, you are once again faced with the choice of old v new.  New hands down goes to Federal Cafe which like La Fabrica has World Tour pedigree in the form of co-owner Rory Sutherland (Movistar, UAE). We had team breakfast at Federal on our second day in Girona, and everyone left very happy and ready for the 90km day ahead.  

If you want a taste of the locals Girona, step into any cafe that doesn’t open until 9am and sit at the counter. There you’ll be immersed in a world that revolves around two things and two things only. Café and futbòl. Mid morning is a time for impassioned back and forth, all centered around Girona FC. If you want to jump in and stir up more than your coffee, simply utter the name “Messi” and watch as the room fills with either supreme reverence or utter dismissal, generally split between two camps.  As a small television plays the previous day's match and your fellow patrons are embroiled in debate about what formation the squad should have played last night, you’ll find yourself with the perfect amount of time to look over the day's ride.

 

On this trip we were fortunate to have Rob Britton, Overlands newest member, on route planning. Rob is no stranger to Girona and its plethora of un-roads. Having spent 2021 living in the city as well as  racing Volta a Catalunya, he knows the back roads of the region in the way that only a seasoned pro can. For anyone visiting Girona with a bike in tow, check out Robs’ Strava or Kamoot. His big days are especially rewarding, with routes that take you through farmland and out to the Costa Brava while stopping at the best cafes along the way.

What Rob wasn’t so good at was the language. And this came into play when we sat down for a mid ride snack at a cafe on the shores of Lake Banyoles. The same  “picturesque lakeside cafe” mentioned in the yet unresolved first paragraph of this article. Our experiences started as most would expect. We sat, looked over menus, and ordered in a varying degree of broken Catalan.

“Hola”, “Bon Dia”, “ un cafe american sí us plau” “ do you have leche de oat?”.  

 I decided on an espresso, aigua con gas, and a delightfully crisp xurro. The rest of the team went a similar route. Xurros, macarons, croissants, cafes con leche. We were, quite frankly, feeling rather on top of things at this very moment. The coffee was dispatched as quickly as it arrived, the same went for the xurros and croissants. The macrons/macaroons however, were nowhere to be seen.  Like any good cyclist we saw this as an opportunity to order another round of espresso and pastries. The macaroons would simply arrive with our second round.

And arrive they did.  Amongst the croissants, xurros, and cafe con leches were two plates of penne bolognese, covered in cheese and destined for two very confused Canadians.  One lactose intolerant and one a vegetarian.

You don’t always get what you expect in life. A platitude, I must admit. But how we choose to respond, and how that response evolves is one of the greatest ways in which we learn and grow… Whether it be sport, love, travel, or family, everyone gets a Catalan macaroon every once in a while. The question is, how do you respond?

Understand where you’re going.

We went to Spain for the same reason many cyclists do.  Reasons largely uninteresting to anyone who has read a cycling trip article in the internet age.  What we found however, was quite interesting indeed. At a picturesque lakeside cafe in Catalonia, sitting upon a plate was a perfect metaphor for life, travel, and sport, and we couldn't help but laugh.

 

Girona was the destination, or at least the starting point and home base for our long week in Catalonia; the semi-autonomous region of Spain that has been in a decades-long fight for independence. Girona itself is old. Capital “O” old. Conquered by Charlemagne old. All of this makes for a history that is as rich and complex as the espresso that fueled our eight days of riding, eating, and exploring in Catalonia.

 

 

The understanding of history, especially recent history, can be one of the most useful things you bring with you during your travels. Everything that we as cyclists love about Catalonia; the rolling farmland, tiny 16th century villages, the smell of the air, the beautiful language, the pace of life, is what the Catalan people love and have fought voraciously to preserve. They have fought against facism, modernization, and time itself,  All to carry on a once common way of life.

In the darkest years, Spain came face to face with facism in the form of Francisco Franco. The Catalan language was outlawed, and the way of life disparaged. These attempts to dislodge catalan life , in ways both big and small, are still happening to this day.  That is why even a poor attempt to speak Catalan when ordering your café can ingratiate you with the locals.

Travel tidbit: Traveling is like soup. You get what you put in. Explore the whys.

To travel to a region and sample its roads, foods, sights, copious espressos and irrationally flaky pastries without a deeper curiosity about the why behind each of these things is to be a skimmer. The most rewarding travel happens when you seek more than to be entertained and unchallenged. If you ask the questions, you open yourself up to the possibility of connection; the opposite of skimming. Why is this pastry so effing flaky? Who laid the cobblestones that pass beneath our wheels, and who has protected their existence for 800 years? How is ham this delicious? A little curiosity goes a long way in a place with 1,00 years of history.

Traveling with a genuine curiosity brings you into the perspective of the people you meet along the way. You enter into their world as a humble guest looking to relate, not a tourist taking a selfie. Curiosity is more important than a map or a spare tube. It will provide more warmth than a Castelli Unlimited Puffy Jacket. The jacket that's very warm yet extremely packable for your adventure or multi day rides. With a woven microfiber windproof outer layer and Polartec® Alpha® Direct insulation. (but still bring that too) and it will take you to places that aren’t even on a map.  

Travel tidbit: Locals are the original GPS. ; Engage with them and try out your Catalan.  
They know the unlisted roads, the bail out spots, and the best cafes along the way to where you’re going. They’ll undoubtedly tell you the most scenic way to get to your destination. And If shit really hits the fan, they’ll probably take you there and buy you a drink.

Let go and let it in

Catalonia is a beautiful region with a beautiful language. And yes, the cycling throughout the region makes you want to repatriate with the quickness of a World Tour sprint.  From a cyclists perspective the city of Girona is almost comical in its “Girona-ness” at times. Around every corner there's a continuous who’s who procession of the UCI elite. You’ll find Tayler Wiles at one cafe, Nathan Hass at another, and end up shoulder to shoulder with Simon Gerrans as you each roll back into town from your shake out rides. It’s a funny place in that way; the dividing line between World Tour riders and everybody else seems to be suspended, until you try to hold their wheel.

For those of us who don’t have a 400+w FTP, but still want to jostle amongst the pros – simply roll into one of the cafes owned by former World Tour riders who have traded their Colnagos for La Marzoccos.  — When at a cafe like La Fabrica, there are pretty good odds that you’ll find yourself fighting for position with someone like Marc Soler, just as I did as we both surveyed the pastry selection, eyeing the last Xuixo.

 

The 4th wave coffee shop is a new arrival to Girona, and their draw is hard to deny. They’re expectedly sleek and stylish and you’re bound to bump into riders from Alpecin-Fenix or Trek-Segafredo, and that’s on a slow day. Plus the pastries are dusted with gold.  But to solely frequent these modern cathedrals of caffeine would only provide you with a narrow expression of a Catalan morning. The quintessential morning in the streets of old Girona starts with an early ride across town and over the Pont De Pedra, where on the corner awaits Fleca Oriell and their luminary croissants. For three euros you’ll be treated to pastry perfection and the warmth of a croissant in one hand and your first cafe americán of the day in the other. The owners of Oriell are as warm and welcoming as their buttery masterpieces. Upon my first visit I was encouraged to bring my bike inside, and welcomed with great patience to practice my early morning Catalan. After my second, third, and fourth visits - if only you could rack up frequent flier miles at a bakery -  I was met with a resounding “Bon Dia! Com era  teu ciclisme ahir?” (Good morning! How was your ride yesterday?). It’s this kind of hospitality and energy that sets apart the old from the new. Bakeries like Oriell feel like they could be run by your favorite Aunt, and when you’re there you feel like you’re part of the family, if only for a few minutes a day.

 

Travel Tidbit #3. Visit Oscar at the Castelli Store and enjoy the tidal wave of his “Bon Dia”

Step into the  Castelli store and you will hear Oscar before you see his energetic and bespectacled face. His thunderous and jovial Bon Dia! Is as much a command as it is a greeting. As if the sheer will of his personality will shape the day to come. I put out 30 more watts every time I think of Oscars’ hellos.

Know thy pastry as you know thyself.

After casually pedaling around town for a while, it will be time for espresso numero dos. For that, you are once again faced with the choice of old v new.  New hands down goes to Federal Cafe which like La Fabrica has World Tour pedigree in the form of co-owner Rory Sutherland (Movistar, UAE). We had team breakfast at Federal on our second day in Girona, and everyone left very happy and ready for the 90km day ahead.  

If you want a taste of the locals Girona, step into any cafe that doesn’t open until 9am and sit at the counter. There you’ll be immersed in a world that revolves around two things and two things only. Café and futbòl. Mid morning is a time for impassioned back and forth, all centered around Girona FC. If you want to jump in and stir up more than your coffee, simply utter the name “Messi” and watch as the room fills with either supreme reverence or utter dismissal, generally split between two camps.  As a small television plays the previous day's match and your fellow patrons are embroiled in debate about what formation the squad should have played last night, you’ll find yourself with the perfect amount of time to look over the day's ride.

 

On this trip we were fortunate to have Rob Britton, Overlands newest member, on route planning. Rob is no stranger to Girona and its plethora of un-roads. Having spent 2021 living in the city as well as  racing Volta a Catalunya, he knows the back roads of the region in the way that only a seasoned pro can. For anyone visiting Girona with a bike in tow, check out Robs’ Strava or Kamoot. His big days are especially rewarding, with routes that take you through farmland and out to the Costa Brava while stopping at the best cafes along the way.

What Rob wasn’t so good at was the language. And this came into play when we sat down for a mid ride snack at a cafe on the shores of Lake Banyoles. The same  “picturesque lakeside cafe” mentioned in the yet unresolved first paragraph of this article. Our experiences started as most would expect. We sat, looked over menus, and ordered in a varying degree of broken Catalan.

“Hola”, “Bon Dia”, “ un cafe american sí us plau” “ do you have leche de oat?”.  

 I decided on an espresso, aigua con gas, and a delightfully crisp xurro. The rest of the team went a similar route. Xurros, macarons, croissants, cafes con leche. We were, quite frankly, feeling rather on top of things at this very moment. The coffee was dispatched as quickly as it arrived, the same went for the xurros and croissants. The macrons/macaroons however, were nowhere to be seen.  Like any good cyclist we saw this as an opportunity to order another round of espresso and pastries. The macaroons would simply arrive with our second round.

And arrive they did.  Amongst the croissants, xurros, and cafe con leches were two plates of penne bolognese, covered in cheese and destined for two very confused Canadians.  One lactose intolerant and one a vegetarian.

You don’t always get what you expect in life. A platitude, I must admit. But how we choose to respond, and how that response evolves is one of the greatest ways in which we learn and grow… Whether it be sport, love, travel, or family, everyone gets a Catalan macaroon every once in a while. The question is, how do you respond?