Collbató sits at the foot of Montserrat's southern flank, and the road from here to the monastery is one of the classic mountain rides of Catalonia. The village is small, with about three thousand people, and old enough that its streets feel more like a Mediterranean hill town than a suburb. Above it, the rock rises in a wall of towers and fingers, some of them with names that locals use to point them out.
The mountain is composed of conglomerate, a rock made of pebbles cemented together over millions of years, which weathers into rounded shapes that can look like faces or animals. Walkers and climbers know the area well, and Collbató has caves with stalactites that were known since medieval times. In the winter, mist often fills the valley, leaving the summits floating above the cloud.
The road is twisty, with hairpins and good views, and it is well surfaced because of the heavy tourist traffic. At the weekend it can feel crowded, and the best time to ride is on a weekday or early in the morning. The air is cool, the light is clear, and the road belongs to those who start early. Be wary of cyclists and tour buses on the narrower stretches, and take care on the hairpins, where gravel can collect.
Fuel is in the valley, not on the mountain. Esparreguera, the nearest large town, has more than twenty thousand people and plenty of stations, and Collbató has a few services. If you need food, the bakeries and bars in the village serve strong coffee and pastries, and the restaurants a bit further up the road offer traditional Catalan cooking, with plenty of grilled meat and vegetables. Local honey and cheese are sold near the monastery.
As the road climbs, the air changes, and the sounds of the valley fall away. The silence near the top is striking, broken only by bells and the hum of a distant engine. It is an ideal start for a day of riding, and one of the most memorable.