I spent 2 days in this coastal town about 30km west of Barcelona, in the Catalunya region - the people do not consider this Spain, but it is. Apparently, Juan Antonio Flecha lives in this area and we went on one of his training rides with some local racers. This little 30mile loop was the most challenging rides of my entire Pyrenees trip. There is one measley 1,500 ft climb that will leave you on the side of the road, wishing that you had broken a chain. I have never experienced 24% grade until now. It is reported that the previously mentioned Rabobank rider uses this climb for hill repeats - 6 times in a day! This is called the Rat Penat.
This was our warm-up ride just to get to know each other. I just assumed that everyone was going to hammer up this little beauty, so I took off once we got to the base and had a lonely, painful ascent. I kept expecting other riders to pass, yet I arrived at the monestary in solitude, painting a mark on my jersey for the rest of the trip...a marked man.
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