spotlight

Sa Costa Brava: Gravel Ride

Spain and gravel go hand in hand. It's the best match in the cycling world since rubber met tarmac. Let us tell you why.

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An Unforgettable Ride!

Not far from Girona (Catalonia, Spain), in one of the cycling hotspots in Europe, there is a beautiful seaside town called Palamòs. From here, the ‘Sa Costa Brava Sunset’ by Klassmark kicked off. A unique gravel cycling event of 82km around the stunning  Empordà region of Catalunya.

It was the first time in a long, long time that riders were able to enjoy partaking in an event due to the pandemic. The organisers (Klassmark) took every measure to protect the riders and they pulled off a phenomenal event. The excitement levels were sky high and everyone was ready to enjoy riding together at an event again.

Flower field and medieval town - Spain, Catalunya, Catalonia

Seaside towns, sunsets and gravel with friends!

During the summer time the heat can reach crazy temperatures so, Klassmark came up with the idea of having an event starting at sunset – sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it?

Side note… The summer sunsets in this area are also absolutely beautiful by the way!

At 19:00 riders start rolling off to ride the first kilometres. Leaving Palamós the route started with a, tough, 5km climb which then gave them the opportunity to enjoy a fast descent down to Empordà. From there it was a casual 47km flat section through all the beautiful mediaeval towns of the area.

Fast and dusty roads brought riders to the first pit stop at the small town of La Sala. There they topped up their bottles and got ready to do the last 30km – crossing the Gavarres, a mountain ridge – before seeing the sea again.

Sunny summer day in Costa Brava

Big efforts with satisfying rewards!

By now it was getting dark and this stretch had to be navigated with the headlights! Riding in the dark is an entirely new adventure. It’s really fun only seeing your friends blinking red tail lights down the road ahead of you.

The lower night time temperatures allowed riders to enjoy some welcome freshness that is missed while riding during the hot summer months in Spain.

The last part of the route was especially adventurous. Riders were having to navigate some narrow dirt tracks in the woods that featured a few lumps of up to 20% gradient! Only being able to see just ahead and navigable with the light of their cycling headlamp made for an epic adventure and had a very “epico feel” to it.

Riders had to dig a bit deeper to conquer the last three climbs of the route but seeing the lights of Palamós on the coast in the distance was satisfying and totally worth every ounce of energy expended.

This may have been an event but that doesn’t mean you can’t have the same awesome adventure as these participants did. Join us on epico gravel experience in Girona or on the Costa Brava and you’ll be treated to the phenomenal riding these areas have to offer.

And if you can’t get there just yet, follow us on Instagram for more destination inspiration or sign up to receive our regular epico Journal to see where we feature next and what tips we have to make your cycling tour an unforgettable cycling holiday!