Alex Molenaar’s favourite route in Catalonia

It’s all about volcanoes and incredibly beautiful views

Molenaar’s favorite route starts in the village of Sant Esteve d’en Bas, just to the west of Parc Natural de la Zona Volcànica de La Garrotxa. As a warm-up, he heads north towards the town of Olot, the gateway to the volcanic area in Catalonia. Halfway into the ride he is back in Olot, so one can divide the route in two: a northern loop followed by a southern loop.

The northern loop features two climbs, the first one is the Coll de Capsacosta, while the second one – called Coll de Canes – starts further along the route in Ripoll.

“This is my favorite route because these are the roads where I started cycling and which paved the way for my professional career as a cyclist,” Molenaar, currently riding for Illes Balears Arabay Cycling Team, says. “I consider it one of the most beautiful places to ride my bike.”

The first part of the route is already beautiful, the 25-year-old says, but the second loop to the south is even better. “For me, the highlights of the route are Coll de Bracons, the hardest climb of this ride, and the village of Rupit, one of the most beautiful places I’ve been in Catalonia.”

The climb of the eastern slope of Coll de Bracons starts from Vall d’en Bas. The climb is 8 km long and steadily gets harder as it progresses, with the last 7 km at an average gradient of 9% and the final kilometers at over 10%. In spite of the uphill slog, the views are glorious and the descent off the other side of this climb is fabulous.

Molenaar has a nice anecdote from his favourite place in Catalonia as well: “When I was young and stopped for the first time at this fountain (in Rupit), a man told me that each time I drank water from the fountain, I had to splash water on the ‘pastoreta’ that is above the water spout. He said that this would bring me good luck. Since then, every time I stop to drink water, I splash water on ‘la pastoreta.’”

It is only downhill from Rupit back to Sant Esteve d’en Bas. There are 174 kilometers on the bike computer upon arrival, and every kilometer is worth it. The cyclist from Arabay muses, “I cannot think of any route in Catalonia that is more beautiful than this one. Even in a wider region, I believe this one is unmatched.”

This story is part of Nafent Magazine volume 11. Read the full story in our digital or paper magazine. Go to our webshop to get yours.