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Photo by Christina Smith
CCGracia morning ride
CCGracia morning ride
2 of 2
Photo by Christina Smith
CCGracia fuel stop
CCGracia fuel stop
One hot summer day, I rode out to the airport to meet a friend flying in for a visit from Canada. Soaked with sweat, waiting in the Arrivals area with my race bike, a random stranger asked me where he could rent a bike. I honestly thought it was just an excuse to get me talking—but I obliged.
A few days later, I noticed he’d posted on the Facebook page of my local cycling club. He’d listened to my advice. He was serious about finding a bike and people to ride with!
So, if you don’t run into a fellow road cyclist at the airport, how do you find people to ride with?
Before I arrived in Barcelona I came across The Barcelona Road Cycling Group on meetup.com. They are a diverse and friendly group of English speaking riders. They regularly schedule meetups of different levels and lengths in and around the city and welcome both local residents and those visiting Barcelona. The organisers have great knowledge of local routes and often post them to www.mapmyride.com.
During one of the meetup rides, I learned of the Club Ciclista Gràcia. I was warned that they were fast and strong and mostly spoke Catalan, but that they’d likely let me join them. CCGracia is a club with a history dating back to 1929—it has hundreds of active members and the Saturday group ride is big. It rolls out in three or four groups of differing speeds; the slower groups usually do less distance, but the ride is structured so that the groups arrive at a small town bar at about the same time to refuel and socialise. Distances vary from 70 to 200 kilometre; a select 'grupo A' usually does a rather rapid 120 to 160 kilometres with more climbs and a shorter rest stop.
Thanks to a friend from CCGracia, I was introduced to those at the Horta Velodrome (open-air wooden cycling track), where a world-class group of paracyclists train. Through my growing network of cycling friends, I’ve enjoyed group rides with other clubs, racing at local races, completing marchas in Catalunya (cyclosportifs, grand fondos) and met randonneurs (ultra distance), and many other people working in the cycling industry in Barcelona. Coincidentally, I even discovered one of my club mates was also my neighbour. Currently, she’s en route back to the United States—the long way—by bicycle.
There are many cycling groups with subgroups of English speaking riders. If you would like to find people to share the passion of cycling in Barcelona with, I suggest joining one of these clubs and see where they lead you.
Club Ciclista Gràcia: www.ccgracia.org
Their office is at Sant Pere Mártir 16 and their usual meeting place is Els Jardinets de Gracia (Gran de Gracia/Diagonal). Membership information, annual calendar with maps and meeting times can be found on the web page. They also have a Facebook page.
The Barcelona Road Cycling Group
Melissa Pritchard: www.theloongwayhome.com; See her interview for Metropolitan here.
Christina Smith is a designer, writer and athlete. Canadian by heritage; Mediterranean at heart. She completed post-graduate studies in both architecture and law, and is a self-educated expert in horticulture. She works as a freelance writer, legal and business researcher/consultant, and landscape, architectural, furniture & accessories designer. Her free time is spent nourishing her cycling addiction. Contact her here.