Pirinexus multi day tour

The Pirinexus loop is unmissable for gravel cyclists seeking lots of variety in a week's tour. It's a cross-border, 340km loop taking in car-free gravel roads, bike paths and quiet country roads. The route shown here includes a few of our own modifications and secret detours.

Variety is the right word to describe this ride: France & Spain , mountain & beach, countryside and town. You will ride through national parks, volcanos, vineyards and the Costa Brava coastline.

It's an all abilities route; the few sections of technical difficulty can be easily bypassed depending on your bike, what you're carrying or the group's level. For the leisure cyclo tourist, it's possible to spend 10 days if you ride in the mornings and use the afternoons to explore this region rich in culture from Roman ruins to vineyard tours. At the other end of the intensity scale the Pirinexus Challenge race takes in the whole loop in a day! Most Pirinexus tours take between 4 and 6 days; the beauty of this tour is you choose the pace.

Starting from Pyrenees Cycling Club it's a leisurely 30km descent down the valley on the car-free bike path. The first climb of the tour takes us up to the Spanish border with spectacular views at the Col de Panissars where you can visit both the Roman temple site and the 18th century Fort Bellegarde. This is the point at which the Roman highways of the Via Augusta and the Via Domitia crossed the Pyrenees - here you are standing at one of the most strategic points of the Roman expansion and you can still see the cart tracks in the rock.

Into the Emporda wine region you descend, where the next 50km is spent meandering through farms on smooth gravel roads.The middle section of the route is mostly flat as you follow the Mediterranean coast- think coffee stops on the beach, the smell of pine trees and a cooling sea breeze. Make the most of the sites and sounds of this easy terrain before we head inland for Girona, the European mecca of gravel riding. The contrast in a single day from remote farms to Girona's vibrant old town keeps the cyclist wondering "what's next?".

The 'via verde del Carrilet' (the greenway of the little train) is a 55km section of repurposed railway trail running from Girona to Olot, in the heart of the Garrotxa volcanic region. The surface is a compacted sand, smooth enough to allow you to cover large distances on car-free trails that glide over viaducts and through old tunnels. It's a pleasure to stop at one of the old railway stations that now serve as cafés where you can also charge your ebike.

By the time you leave Olot, you and your legs will be accustomed to spending consecutive days on the bike. This is a very good thing as the real mountains start here! Quiet tarmac roads take you over the Col de Santigosa before a beautifully winding descent into Sant Joan de les Abadesses with its Romanesque arched bridge. Our next major checkpoint is the Col d'Ares, where you cross back into France at 1500 metres.You will see vultures, wild horses and maybe even a European wildcat at the highest point of the tour. What a contrast to sipping flat whites at a bike shop in Girona 100km ago! The descent back into France can be savoured on gravel or tarmac, it's 30km all downhill back to Pyrenees Cycling Club to complete the full loop. 

Pirinexus is our favourite gravel tour as it can be divided up according to your level and incorporates a huge variety of roads, landscapes and cultures. Put the Pirinexus on your bucket list!