Os de Balaguer is a small village on the edge of the pre-Pyrenean hills in the Noguera district of Lleida, and the Cova dels Vilasos, also known as the Cova dels Vilars, lies just outside it. The site is one of the painted rock shelters of Catalonia counted within the Mediterranean rock art group protected by UNESCO, and its figures are small and reddish, drawn by people who lived from hunting and gathering in what was then a far wilder landscape. Like its neighbours it is protected and rarely dramatic at first sight; give your eyes a moment in the shade and the shapes begin to come out of the stone.
The ride in tells you a lot about this part of Catalonia. To the south lies the flat, irrigated plain of the Segre, a patchwork of fruit orchards, maize and canals, and then the ground starts to rise into a series of low sierras that build up towards the Montsec further north. The roads around Os de Balaguer, Algerri and Alfarràs are quiet country lanes, fairly narrow, with some broken edges and gravel thrown up by farm vehicles. They are not demanding, but they are pleasant, with a rhythm of gentle bends and short climbs that suits an easy pace.
Just north of the village is the monastery of Santa Maria de Bellpuig de les Avellanes, founded by the Premonstratensian order in the twelfth century and long connected with the Counts of Urgell, whose tombs were once housed there. Several of those tombs were later sold abroad and now sit in a museum in New York, a sore point locally. The monastery itself is worth the short detour for its setting alone, backed by wooded hills and looking out over the plain.
Balaguer, thirteen kilometres away, is the town to aim for. It sits on the river Segre beneath the remains of the Castell Formós, the stronghold of those same counts of Urgell, and its arcaded main square is a good place for lunch. You will find fuel and all the usual services there. In summer the plain can be stiflingly hot, and in winter dense fog sometimes settles over the Lleida lowlands for days, so check conditions if you are riding early in the morning.