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Spring break in Spanish Catalonia at Ripoll (GI) from 9 to 16 April 2011

Presentation

For the first time, a Club des Cent Cols holiday will be taking place outside France. Our spring 2011 trip will take place in Ripoll (65 km south of Bourg-Madame and 80 km west of the Costa Brava), in the Catalan province of Girona.

The Ripollès is a comarca (one of Catalonia's 41 administrative subdivisions) surrounded by mountains (the Pyrenees to the north and numerous Serra mountains all around), criss-crossed by valleys (Vall de Ribes, Camprodon and Baix Ripollès), where el Freser and el Ter flow from north to south: mountains, rivers, valleys and villages, many of them medieval in origin, will help you appreciate its beauty.

It's a region with an extensive network of roads, tracks, paths and trails, dotted with mountain passes, making it ideal for our sport.

It's also one of the regions with the most Romanesque buildings in Europe: 98 monuments spread across the 19 villages of the comarca: monasteries, hermitages, churches and medieval bridges that you're sure to want to visit on your cycling or mountain-biking outings.

The Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll, founded by Guifred the Velu in 880, became one of the most important monastic centres in Catalonia until the 15th century. This monument of great historical and cultural interest is one of the finest examples of Catalan Romanesque art.

Alain GILLODES ( CC n° 722) and Chantal SALA (CC n° 3674)

Important practical information

Practical organisation

The two hotels where we will be staying are 3km apart.
On arrival at Ripoll, each of you (including campers) will receive a card containing all the information about the accommodation you have chosen and the services you have paid for. Please keep this card with you, especially when you go to the restaurant. This card will be given to you at the hotel where you will be staying, either between 4pm and 5.45pm on Saturday 9 April at the reception desk we will be holding, or, outside this time, at the reception desk of your hotel. All participants will then meet at 6pm at the La SOLANA del TER hotel for a welcome drink.
Each hotel will provide us with a bicycle room.

Mealtimes

Breakfast (and picnic) at 7.30am
Dinner at 8pm

Departure

9.00 am at the actual departure point, after approaching by car if necessary.

The detailed programme indicates the actual departure point for each route and the location of the car park chosen for your parking; the interactive map of each route will also allow you to view its departure point very precisely (see opposite); it also indicates the distance from Ripoll, generally less than or equal to 35km, and the remarkable sites. These are detailed in the cultural and tourist notes.

Events programme

Saturday 9th April 2011
- From 4 p.m. Participants are welcomed at each hotel and given individual passes for their stay.
- 6pm At La SOLANA DEL TER, presentation of the tour and programme by the Chairman, Régis Paraz; welcome drink in the presence of the Mayor of Ripoll, Madame Jorda y Roura.
Monday 11th April 2011
- 6pm Short talk on the history of Catalonia, given by Michèle, a teacher from Ripoll.
Wednesday 13th April 2011
- 6.30pm Lecture by Dr Bernard Corbet on cardiovascular diseases and the risks associated with practising our sport (CC N° 5364)
Friday 15 April 2011
- At 6pm, a short concert of Catalan music offered by Madame Jorda y Roura, Mayor of Ripoll.
- 7pm Closing aperitif at the LA TROBADA hotel

The Boutique will be available on two evenings (the days and location will be determined on site) from 6 to 8 p.m.

Notice boards

Each hotel has a notice board with all the information you need - don't forget to consult it.

Tours

Seven road circuits and seven mountain bike trails are on offer. Four of the road routes start from Ripoll, and three require you to travel between 12 and 37 km by car. Two of the mountain bike routes start from Ripoll, with the others being staggered by between 12 and 26 km.

In April, the weather is normally mild in this region, which lies on the Mediterranean side of the continental divide and south of the Pyrenees. Bear in mind, however, that Ripoll is in a valley at an altitude of 700 metres and that all the tours will be at a higher altitude, with one of the road tours going up to 2104 metres. So be sure to bring appropriate clothing.

The road circuits were designed by Alain Gillodes and Chantal Sala, and mapped out by Mario Labelle.
Download a synoptic map Printable version of all the road circuits (1.9 MB) - thanks to Gérard Birelli.

The mountain bike trails were designed by Alain Gillodes and Chantal Sala, and mapped out by Gérard Birelli.

Accommodation

Participants will be accommodated in two hotels in Ripoll, a small town of 11,000 inhabitants that does not have a single establishment capable of holding our large number of cyclists. The two establishments offer similar facilities, and one of the two hotels has been assigned to you once you have registered for the trip. The two hotels are La Solana del Ter (pin S on the map below) and La Trobada (pin T).

The full-board package indicated on the registration form covers accommodation for 7 nights, from 09/04 to 15/04 inclusive, and all meals from dinner on Saturday evening 09/04 to breakfast on Saturday morning 16/04, inclusive.

Cultural and tourist information

This document contains PDF a few cultural and tourist notes on some of the sites in the Ripollès and Garrotxa comarques that you will pass through on your tour, or that are nearby and well worth a visit.