Girona: Banyoles Lake, with optional Rocacorba Climb

This road bike route begins in Girona, and makes its way to the beautiful lakeside town of Banyoles, where the rowing for the Barcelona olympics took place. Just before arriving at Banyoles, riders have the option of taking on the infamous Rocacorba climb, popularised by pro riders such as David Millar and Dan Martin, some of the resident pros who regularly gauge their performance on this difficult climb. 25.2km into the ride, turn left to follow this GPX and climb the Rocacorba (around 9km of climbing over 11km), or turn right to head directly to Banyoles (saving 22.4km from the total distance of this GPX). The route then pauses along the lake, where there are several restaurants, and even an opportunity for a swim (at the Banys Vells, at the north end of the promenade, on pontoons on the lake), then returns to Girona along pleasant rural roads.

To view our animated map video of the route, with photos, click here

For an English language video with commentary on the climb by Mike Cotty, featuring David Millar, click here

Tags: Best bike touring holidays, cycling tourism Catalonia, bicycle trips Spain, E-Bike tours, E-MTB trails, road bike training camp, gps & gpx tracks

For more information on cycling in Girona click here