In mid-May I turned 37, a date when you're dangerously close to forty, and I thought it was time to start them off with a good challenge to keep going strong. A couple of years ago I pedal a gravel bike through Girona and I wanted to try cycling from home with everything you need to sleep away. It's what many have come to name bikepacking, although in my case I wanted to avoid carrying a tent and all the food, because I didn't intend to be self-sufficient. One route in particular caught my attention: what if I circumnavigated the Girona region in five days, traveling by bike for an average of eight hours? That's how my personal birthday present began, on a trip supported by the Greenways Consortium and the Girona-Costa Brava Tourist Board, which provided the accommodation.

There are many excuses to go out cycling. And I'm sure there are quite a few of you who, when thinking about where you want to go, look for a good place to stop and recharge before heading back. This week's route is inspired by last week's: we once again take shelter by the Ter River and head upstream from Girona, but this time we extend the route, passing over the old bridge of Sant Julià de Llor to Pasteral, at the edge of the Inland Forest, next to Amer. There, two delicious breakfast options await us: the bar La Parada, with a terrace overlooking the dam, and the long-standing restaurant Can Quer, where they still grill meat in the same room where they serve the daily menu.

We Girona residents often forget that, beyond the sea, right next to our home, we have a river teeming with life, especially after such a spectacular spring. We travel to Vilanna along the small road, crossing the orchards and meadows of Salt and Bescanó, and returning through the areas of Constantins, Sant Gregori, and Domeny. The journey takes us back to the summer season and back home in just an hour and a half.

There are days when you go out on your bike and everything flows. You leave Rustik, the cycling café and bakery in Bellcaire d'Empordà, head towards the sea, head out along dusty trails, swim in a hidden cove, suffer climbing a lonely hill, and end up crossing wetlands in silence. This route is exactly that: a long, intense, and wild adventure through the most authentic Empordà.

There are places where time stretches on, where days are measured not by hours but by light, aromas, and silence. The Empordà is one of those places. This land between the sea and the mountains invites you to live slowly, to savor every kilometer, every moment.

There are days when cycling becomes a form of meditation. This 80km circular route from Girona to Les Encies and the Sierras, passing through Bonmatí, is one of those trips that, beyond the physical exertion, gives you an intimate experience with the landscape.

A short gravel bike route from Girona, perfect for those days when you want to make the most of your time without any complications. We start in the center of Girona and head toward Quart along the Via Verda. From there, we continue to Palol de Onyar, where we take a path that leads us toward the Gavarres. The track is very fun, with a gentle slope and a very good surface. During the climb, you can enjoy impressive views of the city. The climb to the top is about 10 kilometers, and then we take a few meters of road to face the second part, which takes us to the Gavarres. to Los Angeles, one of the most emblematic sites A must-see by bike in Girona.

When I moved out of Girona at the age of 23, I looked for an easy and beautiful bike route back to my parents' house in Riudarenes. I discovered that the Camino de Santiago passed very close by, and I created what I now consider my circular bike route: a path with few cars that leaves Girona and passes through Fornells, Riudellots, Franciac, the Gulf of Caldes de Malavella, Sils, and Vallcanera, and crosses the plane tree grove my father used to find while clearing and pruning.