Transcatalan: Background Information
Roughly speaking the route consists of three valleys and four passes that need to be conquered. The trip begins on a Sunday and ends six days later, on a Friday, when we will take a plunge into the Mediterranean. At the moment we’re on day four (time flies when you’re having fun), and the plan is to climb the highest pass in the Pyrenees (outside of Andorra), the Puig de la Collada Verde at 2.250 meters, to arrive in Prats at the end of the afternoon. The views are mind-blowing: we can see all major peaks, the French city of Perpignan, and the Spanish Costa Brava. Unfortunately, being in a national park, we’re forced to abandon rule number one: no shotter. A little while later, at the start of the first trail, the disappointment is nothing but a distant memory. Niels pushes aside two branches and there it is, an amazing trail. No idea how the guys managed to find this one. We’re some 1.500 kilometres from home, gazing at a beauty in the middle of nowhere. Accompanying us is Hubert, a French firefighter and biker who lives in nearby Prats, and even he didn’t know about this one. And that is what makes the Transcatalan so special. It is a trip through no-man’s-land, taking in forgotten tracks that are an absolute joy to ride.
High point of the afternoon is ‘Black Mamba’, one of those trails that strings together awesome stretches, where you can rise above yourself and grow in self-confidence, a trail that leaves you wishing you had a GoPro to record it all and relive it time and time again, to see everybody grinning and giving each other high-fives.
Culturally minded as we are we take a short tour through the castle grounds. We come down on the stone steps of this historic site and continue onwards to Prats. On the fifth day our campsite, the most idyllic I’ve ever stayed at, is basking in the yellow-tinged light of dawn.
I’ll be honest. The first two trails of the day are nice and entertaining, but the two corkers right before lunch and at the end of the afternoon are simply unequalled. The one before lunch is basically a long ridge descent towards the village of Arles-sur-Tech. Let’s not talk about the first part, which is the stuff of nightmares, and easily avoidable. But after that the trail is simply amazing. And especially the part that is called Hully Gully. A naturally formed pump track that winds itself down the mountain. More often than not the best line follows the side of the gullies. They should give a medal to whoever thought this one up. An amazing, one-of-a-kind trail, and by itself reason enough to make the trip to the Pyrenees. But pay attention to your handlebars, as the Gully is quite ‘Hully’ in places.
A word about the trail at the end of day five, which I alluded to earlier. The trail lies to the south of Céret, a geographically unlikely location, seeing that the group needs to be dropped off and picked up. But having done it we can understand why. Lars Veenstra’s verdict: ‘Best trail of the week’. As for us, we need some warming up, but a third of the way in we get rolling – quite literally. We feel like kings of the trail and we’re rippin’ it, so to speak. At three quarters there is a steeper section. One of those stretches that demands total commitment and leaves no room for doubt, because otherwise you might as well leave it entirely. It’s now or never. How about that for pushing your limits? Every time the trail crosses the road, you pray the goodness doesn’t stop. It might begin to sound a bit cliché, but after arriving in the village it’s high-fives all around. The perfect end to a perfect day.
Day five: D-day. Three more mountain passes separate us from the coast. We are beginning to feel the exertion. Which is not surprising, since we’ve been in the saddle for a while now. Meanwhile we’re not so high up anymore and we’re beginning to feel the Mediterranean heat. For most of us it’s the last bit of nice weather before returning to Dutch gloominess. Before noon we drop some 1.500 vertical meters. Because of the climate the trails are a lot dryer here, but nonetheless they are amazing to ride. The last stretch before arriving in Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda is – again – amazing, which after six days doesn’t surprise us anymore. The support team is waiting for us with a tasty lunch. We get a ride to the last mountain range to be crossed. The first part is an unavoidable ten kilometre stretch over a 4×4 track to get us nearer to the sea. After that we are presented with technical nightmare that some of us can and some of us cannot appreciate anymore, followed by a 300 meter long tunnel, apparently built for dwarves.
After having bumped our helmets a dozen times it is time to activate the lights on our mobile phones, which improves the situation tremendously. We gobble up the last ten kilometres of the GR-10 towards Banyuls-sur-Mer. The GR-10 is rather important to the village, as this well-known hiking trail runs all the way to the Atlantic Ocean and walkers begin or end their hike in Banyuls. Funnily enough the track gets rather technical again right at the end: plenty of moments where you can topple over your handlebars if you’re not careful. Luckily everybody is paying attention.
We arrive at the beach. After six days of strenuous exercise it’s a sight for sore eyes. Barry, grinning, rides his bike straight into the salty water, and we wonder what his bike will look like in a couple of months’ time. The support crew has set up a picnic table with food and drinks. A bottle of champagne is popped – not so much to celebrate the fact that all of us have survived the trip, but rather to celebrate the dream of Niels and Antoine: biking through the Pyrenees with a group of friendly enthusiasts, and all that according to six specific requirements. The party is getting started and turns into a paella feast in the bay of Banyuls-sur-Mer. And so ends the best mountain bike trip of 2015. If this report doesn’t entice you to participate next year, I have absolutely no idea how I can convince you otherwise.
Some Words of Appreciation
A couple of shout-outs are in order. Of course to Niels and Antoine, for all the time and energy they’ve invested in their dream and the fact that they’ve allowed us to experience that dream with them. To Mariska, Suus, Jan, and Dries, for all the coffee, delicious food, support and uplifts. To Pedro, of the Spanish guiding company Guara Trail, for the use of his van and bike trailer. To Specialized Netherlands and Bike Sportive Haarlem, for sponsoring this brand new event. To Jean and Patricia Bernard, for their help in dealing with the local community. And to the participants of this trial run: Barry, Hubert, Joeri, Rick, Jos, and Bas. Such an adventure with such a small team makes lifelong friends!
Transcatalan 2016
Six days of biking, September 3–10 in the eastern part of the Mediterranean. De price is including transfers to and from the airport of Girona, de best trails you can imagine, French and Spanish cuisine, uplifts, bike support and stays in the most idyllic places where a tent can be pitched. Cost £ 900 (€ 1150) all-in (excluding flight), with a maximum of 13 participants (good things come in small packages). Given enough interest a second week will be organized, from August 27 till September 3.
For more information and booking visit transcatalan.com
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