Sobrànigues and Galliners from Girona

The back country north of Girona, reached the long way round. The first twenty kilometres run flat and fast down the Ter through Celrà and Bordils, a warm-up you can ride in the big ring, before the route turns north and the ground starts to tilt.

That middle third is where the day happens: Sobrànigues, the wall at Terradelles, and the drag up to Galliners, which tops out at just over two hundred metres. None of it is a col. The steepest ramp touches nine per cent but lasts a few hundred metres, and the six hundred metres of climbing arrive in a dozen short bursts instead of one long effort. It is a route that rewards riding the lumps rather than pacing a climb.

Home follows the Terri valley down through Cornellà del Terri and Sant Julià de Ramis, then the river into the city. If you already know the Cornellà del Terri loop, this is its rougher cousin: same end of the province, same easy numbers, but the lanes in the middle are a good deal sharper.