When in Rome, do as the Romans do……when in Girona, do as the pros do!

It’s no secret Girona has become a popular base for pro riders and teams so we thought we’d find out exactly what makes this medieval town and its surrounding roads such a cycling mecca. Naturally it’s always best to learn from the locals so we hooked up with resident pro Dan Craven, riding for Israel Cycling Academy, for a classic Girona loop taking in the popular Els Angles climb and Hincapie Hill.

Watch our Girona ride video with Dan Craven

Interview with Christian Meier, ex-pro turned entrepreneur and coffee connoisseur.
Since Lance Armstrong and the US Postal team based themselves here in the late 90’s, the sight of a pristine pro cyclist rolling through Girona’s old town is as common as the cobbles. Fast forward a couple of decades and you’ll also get your ultimate coffee fix and rustic rolled oat snack in style here too with Girona being home to two of the coolest cycling cafés, La Fábrica and Espresso Mafia, both founded by former pro racer Christian Meier. When we found out that Christian actually retired from racing with one year left on his contract with Orica-GreenEDGE, to pursue his love of coffee, I know there would be a lot more to the story than meets the eye. With his latest business venture The Service Course now in full swing I managed to get Christian to sit still for just long enough to find out more about how he went from bike racer to entrepreneur in such a short space of time.

Watch ‘Life Beyond Racing’ with Christian Meier

46 kilometres of greatness on the Costa Brava!
Shifting gears slightly from our usual high mountain rides we couldn’t resist taking a closer look at the stunning Costa Brava coastline and in particular a visually spectacular 46 kilometre ride from Sant Feliu de Guíxols to Lloret de Mar. Naturally we added a cheeky little 6.3km climb up to the chapel at Sant Grau, after all, this is The Col Collective! So if the Girona Pyrenees and the rolling Catalan climbs aren’t enough of a lure for a winter retreat, you also have the ocean roads to choose from, but be warned, jumping into the Mediterranean to cool off is definitely hard to resist.

Watch our Costa Brava & Girona Pyrenees video series

Ride, Relax & Explore with The Col Collective Cycling Tours!
Inspired by the mountains? Come and join us next summer for the cycling experience of a lifetime! From the highest peaks in the Hautes-Pyrénées to hidden gems of untold beauty. Conquer the Tourmalet, visit the Tour de France, get your first ever taste of the mountains or head off the beaten track and into the wild, all fully supported by The Col Collective. To learn more click each of the images below…..

Check out all our cycling tours

Thanks for reading, we hope you enjoy our latest round of videos, ride safe and stay tuned for more coming soon…..