The cycling paradise is closer than we think, you only have to find it.
The beauty of the Pyrenees is known for a lot of people and as soon as we had an opportunity to make a trip and go riding our bicycles there, we went immediately.
This time, we were really lucky to meet the guys from Intrêpid Hotel, located in Bellver de la Cerdanya, and have the chance to visit them and explore this amazing area for two days.
DAY 1. Coll de Pandís at Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park (43km / 1,161m+)
When you are surrounded by huge mountains is easy to gain a lot of elevation in just a few kilometers. That was exactly the case.
The plan for the first day was to climb to Coll de Pendís, a short but hard ride thru this mountain range located inside of the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park.
In this adventure to the Catalan Pyrenees, we had the opportunity to share the ride with a very special guest, Mireia Simó, who is part of the Intrêpid Hotel team, she is a sports lover, fanatic of nature and mountains and always ready to achieve new challenges.
We started the ride at Bellver de la Cerdanya and, after a few kilometers, the first climbs appear.
The landscape and all the nature that surrounded us meanwhile we were gaining altitude were incredible.
As much closer to the top we were, some impediments were appearing in the middle of the path.
Fallen trees, snow and also, the temperature started to decrease and, in spite of we were concerned a bit about that, finally, nothing it couldn’t stop us to reach the top.
Once we arrived at Coll de Pandís, we enjoyed the amazing view of the whole valley and we realized how many meters of elevation gain we did in just 25 km.
After spending some minutes taking a lot of photos, we decided to start downhill, left that small but beautiful place, and go back to the village.
We were doing a loop ride and the scenario for the downhill was totally different. We rode thru a path in a forest among great trees. It was magic and you could go really fast!
Three hours of riding later, we were back to the valley and we went to the Intrêpid Hotel to rest a bit, take a shower and recover energies having a tasty dinner.
DAY 2. Guils Fontanera Ski Station (56km / 1,526m+)
We slept like kings and the energies had been renewed during the night. Just after having a big breakfast full of traditional food, we were ready to burn another great day of gravel at La Cerdanya.
The route was a loop thru the Guils Fontanera Ski Station, in the opposite side of the previous day, another short but intense ride of around 50km was waiting for us.
The first kilometers to Éller village were thru a small and quiet road. Once there, the first gravel segments appeared.
It was a very hot day, there were not flat roads and our water bottles were almost finished. We had to stop at Meranges to refill them in a water source.
One of the best things about this project is that we are always opened to improvise and, just that day, we found a Cheese Farm and we decided to stop and try to visit it.
It called Formatges Vall de Meranges and one of the owners of the farm open her doors to us. She didn’t expect our visit but she didn’t hesitate to explain and show us how they make their products.
It was incredible, very interesting and super funny. We tasted different kinds of cheese, drank some wine made by them, and bought a couple of pieces of cheese.
As an anecdote, we would like to mention that we didn’t know that farm and after talking with her (owner), we discovered that we were really lucky because that place has a lot of awards for the products that they make.
After a perfect “pitstop”, we continued uphill till our next destination, Guils Fontanera Ski Station.
The views were indescribable and you almost could forget that you were non-stop climbing.
Just a few kilometers to reach the top we entered a small forest where we saw the first snow pieces of the day.
We were happy and excited because we were almost there but this feeling was just temporary…
…the north side of the mountain was plenty of snow and we didn’t have an alternative path.
That’s always funny, it’s part of the game and if you want to explore you are exposed to have situations like this, just you have to smile and enjoy it.
The segment was a couple of kilometers walking, and after that, we were able to ride our bikes again. Definitely, it was time to start the downhill.
One day more, we had a fast way back to the village.
It was late and we were hungry, and we decided to finish the ride taking a soda and eating a bit of this fantastic cheese that we bought some hours before on the farm.
SPECIAL THANKS TO INTRÊPID HOTEL
We already knew La Cerdanya but never before have been there with bicycles. We had the opportunity to stay at the Intrêpid Hotel and it was really amazing. The place, the food, the crew… no words to describe how they took care of us during those days.
Definitely, the Intrêpid is a perfect place to spend some days and know more about this part of the Pyrenees and enjoy nature.
In the last point, we would like to say thanks to Mireia to were part of this adventure and ride always with that positive mood, a lot of energy and her unforgettable smile.
www.intrepidhotel.com
