Pyrenees to Girona

Our first ride of your tour traces a westward loop through the Ariège Pyrenees that includes the Col de Port, featured in the Tour de France since its very first foray into the Pyrenees in 1910. Going deeper into the mountains your loop rises and descends on pristine roads, through dense forests and open pasture land. The view of the magnificent landscapes from our last col of the day – the Port de Lers – is worth all the effort you’ll put in today!

Highlights today include the deep, rural atmosphere of this hidden area of France, with alternating attractive forests and pastureland. The route is hilly, but apart from your main objective of the day (Col de Jau – 1506m), there is nothing too challenging. We will aim to be in the hot spring resort hamlet of Molitg-les-Bains sometime after lunch, so that you have a full afternoon to enjoy our thermal resort. You might even decide to take a mud bath before dinner!

You will find that today’s route differs from the previous rides, as we transition from the Ariège Pyrenees to the drier Pyrenees Orientales (Mediterranean). Day 4 sees you riding past fruit orchards, vineyards and olive groves and Mediterranean pines dot the landscape. We cross many small cols today, but nothing is too high or difficult. Our main goal of the day is Col Palomère, which is 19 km long, but only steep near the top. We descend to the Catalan village of Céret in the afternoon, giving us enough time to explore the area and perhaps visit the famous modern art museum (opened with the help of Picasso) before a village-center dinner of delicious local fare.

We continue our eastward route through the foothills of the French department of Pyréneés-Orientales, past pretty Catalan villages that lead us down to the Mediterranean Sea. Your route hugs the coast for 15 kilometers before climbing over our ‘secret col’ (we’ll tell you the story, don’t worry!) out of Banyuls-sur-Mer. At the top of this lovely, lonely climb you are in Spain. From here we descend towards our last challenge of the day: to the gigantic Benedictine monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes, from which you have unobstructed views over the Mediterranean and a fantastic descent to your seaside hotel in El Port de Selva.

We leave the Mediterranean Sea today, climbing immediately through cork and parasol pine forest, before a long, flat ride past scenic Catalan villages that takes us to our second and final climb of the day – Els Angeles. From the monastery at the top of this how mountain, it’s all downhill to our hotel right in the center of Girona…in plenty of time for a drink and some tapas before dinner!

Our final day of riding weaves it’s way through the stunning countryside west of Girona. Today’s main climb will take us up almost 800 m of quiet and gentle roads to the village of Sant Hilari Sacalm, where a `cortado`coffee stop is always a good idea. From here, we follow the Osor river downhill on our way back to Girona, enjoying its cooling effects and tree-lined banks. The perfect way to end an outstanding week of cycling.

After breakfast we will transfer you to Toulouse Airport.