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

Presentation

Pour la première fois, un séjour du Club des Cent Cols se situera hors de France. En effet, notre séjour de printemps 2011 se déroulera à Ripoll (situé à 65 km au sud de Bourg-Madame et à 80 km à l’ouest de la Costa Brava), en terre catalane, dans la province de Girona.

Le Ripollès est une comarca (l’une des 41 subdivisions administratives de Catalogne) entourée de montagnes, (chaîne des Pyrénées au nord et nombreuses « Serra » tout autour), traversée de vallées (Vall de Ribes, de Camprodon et de Baix Ripollès), où coulent du nord au sud el Freser et el Ter : montagnes, rivières, vallées, villages d’origine médiévale pour la plupart nous permettront d’apprécier sa beauté.

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

C’est aussi une des régions possédant le plus d’édifices romans en Europe : 98 monuments répartis dans les 19 villages de la comarca : monastères, ermitages, églises, ponts médiévaux que vous ne manquerez pas de visiter au cours de vos sorties vélo ou VTT.

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.
A son arrivée à Ripoll chacun d’entre vous (y compris les campeurs) recevra une carte qui comportera tous les renseignements concernant la formule d’hébergement choisie et les prestations réglées. Merci de garder cette carte sur vous, notamment lors de vos passages au restaurant. Cette carte vous sera remise à l’hôtel où vous serez hébergés, soit entre 16 h et 17 h 45 le samedi 9 avril à la permanence que nous tiendrons, soit, en dehors de cet horaire, à la réception de votre hôtel. L’ensemble des participants se retrouvera ensuite, à 18h, à l’hôtel La SOLANA del TER, pour le pot d’accueil.
Each hotel will provide us with a bicycle room.

Mealtimes

Petit-déjeuner (et récupération du pique-nique) à 7 h 30
Dinner at 8pm

Departure

9 h 00 au lieu de départ réel, après approche en voiture éventuelle.

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
- A 18 h 30 Conférence sur les affections cardio-vasculaires et les risques liés à la pratique de notre sport présentée par le docteur Bernard Corbet (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 sont proposés. Quatre des circuits routiers partent de Ripoll et trois nécessitent des avancées en voiture de 12 à 37 km. Deux des circuits VTT partent de Ripoll, les autres étant décalés de 12 à 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.