Barcelona · Collada de Toses Pyrenean Doorway

A 258 km loop from Vic

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Why this ride

A serious northbound day into Pyrenean bend country. 258 km round from Vic - plan on about 4 h 58 of riding. On the way it passes Ripoll mountain and La Molina overnight option. The climb of the day is Collada de Toses. It tops out at about 1,850 m. The passes are the reason to go.

Roadbook

1. Vic fuel gate fuel

   Vic is the capital of Osona, a prosperous market town of nearly forty thousand people in a high, fertile basin about seventy kilometres north of Barcelona, and it is the natural stopping point on the way to the Pyrenees. The main square, the Plaça Major, is a huge cobbled space ringed by arcades and old houses, and on Tuesdays and Saturdays it fills with stalls selling vegetables, cheese and cured meats. The Saturday market has been a fixture for centuries, and it is a good place to buy a sausage for the road.

   The town has a Roman temple, whose columns stand in the middle of a medieval street, a cathedral with striking twentieth-century murals by the Catalan painter Josep Maria Sert and a museum with one of the finest collections of Romanesque and Gothic art in Europe. Vic is also the capital of Catalan charcuterie, famous for its fuet, its botifarra and its llonganissa, the long, thin, dry sausage that hangs in every shop window. During Holy Week, the town hosts the Mercat del Ram, a big fair that sells palm leaves, crafts and farm produce.

   North of Vic, the road climbs towards the Collada de Toses, a pass at about eighteen hundred metres on the N-152, the old road from Barcelona to Puigcerdà. The ride is a long run up through Ripoll and the valley of the Freser, a series of climbing bends through forest and meadow, with the peaks of the Pyrenees ahead. In winter, the pass can be icy, and snow chains are sometimes required, so check the conditions before you set out. The destination, La Molina, is a ski resort, and an overnight stay there is a good break.

   Vic has fuel stations, supermarkets and a wide choice of restaurants, so it is the best place to fill up before the mountains, because the stations thin out beyond Ripoll. Gurb and Santa Eugènia de Berga have a few services. Start early in summer, when the heat can be fierce, and carry warm clothing, because the temperature on the pass can be ten degrees colder than in the town. A sausage sandwich from the market, eaten on a bench in the sun, is a fine way to start.

2. Ripoll mountain gate food

   Ripoll is where Catalonia, in a sense, began. In 879 Guifré el Pelós, Wilfred the Hairy, the count credited with founding the Catalan dynasty, established the monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll, and he is buried there. The carved Romanesque doorway, with its crowded scenes from the Bible and the lives of kings, is among the finest in Spain. Even if you only have time for a coffee, walk over and look at it.

   The town lies in a valley where the Ter and Freser rivers meet, ringed by the foothills of the Pyrenees, with about eleven thousand people. It was once known for its forges and, later, for making firearms and ironwork, and a few old factories still stand along the rivers. Today it is a pleasant place with a market, arcaded streets and a good selection of bakeries, bars and small shops.

   For a rider, Ripoll is an important gateway. The road north, the N-152, climbs steadily through the valley of the Freser toward the Collada de Toses and on to Puigcerdà, while the road east leads to Olot and the volcanic country of La Garrotxa. Fuel is easy, with stations at the edge of town, and it makes sense to fill up here before the mountains. The temperature drops as you climb, so a spare layer is worth carrying.

   There is more to eat here than most travellers expect. Catalan mountain cooking runs to stews, grilled sausages, wild mushrooms in autumn and trinxat, a fried mixture of potatoes and cabbage. Cheese from nearby farms is excellent, and the local bakeries sell a variety of pastries. Lunch with a view of the square, under an arcade, is a good way to spend an hour.

   In winter, snow can reach the town, and the roads above can be icy. In summer, the valley is warm and the evenings pleasant. Ripoll is a quiet place, but it carries a great weight of history, and you can sense it in the stone.

3. Collada de Toses pass

   The Collada de Toses is a Pyrenean pass at about 1,800 metres, on the road between Ripoll and Puigcerdà, and it is one of those places where you feel the landscape change as you cross it. On the south side, the valley of the Freser is green and wooded. On the north, the high basin of the Cerdanya opens out, broad and bright, with snow-covered peaks to the horizon in winter and spring.

   The road is old, and it has been a route between the Catalan lowlands and the Cerdanya for centuries. The village of Toses lies just below the summit, a cluster of stone houses with a Romanesque church, and used to be a stopping place for muleteers and merchants. Nowadays the road mostly carries holiday traffic to the ski resorts of La Molina and Masella, with trucks using the tunnel under the Cadí for through traffic. That makes the pass itself comparatively quiet, which is a bonus.

   For a rider, the Collada de Toses offers a sequence of bends and hairpins that climb through beech and pine, then open up to alpine meadow near the top. The surface is generally good, but in spring there can be gravel and potholes after the winter frost. In the cold months, ice and snow are real concerns, and the pass may need chains or be closed briefly after heavy snowfall. Check conditions before you go.

   Ripoll, on the south side, is the main town for supplies, and Puigcerdà, about fourteen kilometres on the other side, is larger and has everything. A small bar or restaurant near the top sometimes serves coffee, but hours vary, so do not count on it.

   The air is thin and clean, and in summer the meadows are full of wildflowers and cattle. Late afternoon light on the peaks is wonderful, and the view over the Cerdanya is worth a stop at any time of year. Pull over, let the engine cool and listen to the cowbells.

4. La Molina overnight option sleep

   La Molina is the old ski village at the Catalan end of the Cerdanya, a high, sunny valley that the Pyrenees split between Spain and France. At roughly 1,400 metres, it is one of the early ski stations in Spain, with lifts that go back to the middle of the twentieth century, and today the slopes above it reach beyond 2,500 metres.

   The Cerdanya is an odd piece of geography. It is a broad glacial valley, wide and flat in the middle, with snowy peaks all round, and the border runs through it in a way that leaves Llívia, a Spanish town, entirely surrounded by France. The sun shines here for most of the year, and the air is thin and bright. In summer, the ski slopes turn into walking terrain, with wildflowers and marmots, and in autumn, the larch and beech woods turn gold.

   For riders, a night in La Molina means the road is on your doorstep. The Collada de Toses, at about 1,800 metres, is the pass on the N-152 that climbs from Ripoll through woods and open pasture, with wide bends and long views. It is well surfaced and popular with riders, and the descent into Cerdanya is a favourite. Ice and snow can close or restrict the road from late autumn to spring, so check before you go. Fog is common in the valleys, and the mountain air is cold even in summer, especially after dark. The Cadí tunnel to the south and the roads into France offer more variety.

   Practically, La Molina has hotels and apartments, many shut outside the ski and summer seasons, so book ahead. Fuel is in Puigcerdà, which has nearly nine thousand people and several stations, and in Alp, below La Molina. Restaurants serve mountain food, such as stews, grilled meat and local cheese, and a hot chocolate after a cold ride is a good idea. Carry warm clothes, even in July, and put gloves in the top box.

5. Back to Vic finish

   Back at Vic. That is the ride.

Where this sits

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