Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Road cycling in Montserrat, bike rental and guided tours

Road cycling Montserrat Barcelona
Cycling in Montserrat above sea of clouds
Montserrat is a very special mountain for catalan people. Center of catalan spirituality, pilgrimage destination to rengrace the small black virgin which is Verge de Montserrat. It is well known as the site of the Benedictine abbey, Santa Maria de Montserrat, which hosts the Virgin of Montserrat sanctuary.

More than that, Montserrat mountain is a natural phenomena, with its rounded forms of calcaric stone, desstination of rock climbers, and also cycling climbers. "Montserrat" literally means "saw (serrated, like the common handsaw) mountain" in Catalan. It describes its peculiar aspect with multitude of rock formations which are visible from a great distance. The mountain is composed of strikingly pink conglomerate, a form of sedimentary rock. Montserrat is Spain's first National Park.

Road cycling in Montserrat (Barcelona)
Our tours lead to the roads with best views over Montserrat
In our Montserrat tours we make a loop about 80 km long with over 1900 meters elevation. In addition, you get the best views of Montserrat. 3 long and steep ascents to complete a demanding tour around the mountain.

Some of our customers reviews about the trip we do around Montserrat:
"I've often dreamed of riding Europe's famous roads and experiencing the views and climbs made famous by the grand tours. With Montefusco cycling, my guide Claudio made that happen and took care of every detail along the way. I found myself once again in Barcelona with time to spare and having walked the majority of the city, I thought it would be worthwhile to try to head out of town and see the surrounding area but didn't want to try this on my own, not knowing the roads or how to get out there. Montefusco cycling solved all those problems with the Montserrat Mountain ride I chose. Claudio, who is knowledgeable, friendly and full of advice and history of the area, picked me up at my hotel and drove us out to the base of the holy mountain of Montserrat 40 minutes outside Barcelona proper. My Orbea bike was fit perfectly with pedal clips to match my shoes and he brought a helmet and extra water. We began the long ascent immediately and as we climbed he explained the significance of the mountain and the area. The ride, while one of my most difficult to date, was more than I had hoped with unparalleled views, epic descents through beautiful towns and of course tons of challenging climbing. Once we reached the monastery, I had felt like I had indeed gone through something spiritual. A consummate professional and a great riding companion, Claudio made that afternoon one of the highlights of my European trip. If I return to Barcelona I have every intention of scheduling another ride. This is well worth the money and highly recommended!"
 
Road cycling in Montserrat (Barcelona)
Tiny cyclists, huge mountains
“You will not make any mistake if you decide to rent bicycle and take guided tour with Claudio. Bicycle was really good carbon fiber Orbea and what was EXCEPTIONAL is the set up of bicycle. Before my trip I sent e-mail to Claudio with the most important dimensions and he and his mechanic made it exactly same as mine !!!! Claudio speaks very good English and you will not have any problems communicating with him. I wanted to go by myself to climb famous Montserrat Mountain since there is ton or rides on Strava, Garmin Connect etc. but decide to hire Claudio as a guide. Again FULL success !!!! For really small price he picked me and my family (no cost for taking them with us) , we drove to base of the mountain and while we were cycling my wife and son were sightseeing Monastery and surroundings. Since he is in terrific shape he can go any pace you want ( I am racer and I thought I can drop him but I had to settle in wheel sucking mode :-) plus the route that he chose was unbelievable , with secret picturesque climb that nobody was using. I strongly suggest that you pick Montserrat tour if you like climbing (1500 m of climbing on 60 km ride). He also suggested what HC climb to tackle in Pyrenees , I spent a weekend in Andorra, and also sent me GPX files for most of rides that I rode. THANKS Claudio !!!!!!!! “

Cycling in Montserrat (Barcelona)
Isn't it amazing?

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

バルセロナを満喫するなら彼とのライドは欠かせません!

仕事で会議に訪れた後、残りの休日をロードバイクツアーに参加しました。 プライベートで申し込みましたが、ホテルまでのピックアップもしてくれますし、カーボン製のレンラルバイクは貸して下さいますし、何よりコースのピックアップ、ツアーガイドとしてもClaudioさんはとてもフレンドリーとにかく最高です! 体力レベルに合わせてガイドして下さいますから初心者の方でも問題ありません。 お時間、費用が許すなら是非ライド後のランチもお願いしたいですね!