We didn't get any time to explore La Seu d'Urgell which was a shame as evidently it has a 12th century cathedral and an interesting museum. Instead it was another relatively early start after the hotel had got their act together and served us breakfast.
It was a lovely bright and fresh morning with a gentle breeze which you only really experience in mountainous areas. As the 5km Cadi Tunnel cannot be cycled through we had to take the more circuitous route through the beautiful and sparsely populated Cadi-Moixero National Park which involved two significant climbs, the Coll de la Traba (1491 metres) and the Coll de Josa (1640 metres). Phil waited for me at the top of the first Col - clearly trying to make amends for yesterday! It was greatly appreciated. We passed some stunning hill top villages and stopped at one of them, Tuixent, for coffee. By this time we had been cycling for over 2 hours and only covered 20 miles - it was going to be a long day!
Climbing up to the Coll de Josa we passed a gorgeous Romanesque chapel, clinging to the hill side above the Rio de Josa. Once the Col was reached we enjoyed a very long descent to Guardiola de Bergueda and the miles ticked by quickly. Phil organised a lunch stop and was already tucking into sausages and eggs when Chris and I arrived and he ordered two further portions.
The next section of the day took us due East across the Coll de Merolla (1090 metres) with another long descent to Ripoll - described as the cradle of Catalonia; it also has a good cafe serving earl grey tea and energy rich chocolate cake.
We were now on the edge of the Pyrenees and the final climb of the day to the Coll de Canes (1121 metres) seemed relatively easy. On the descent I was passed by a group of youngsters from the Olot cycling club strutting their stuff on two wheels. There were great views of the extinct volcanoes characteristic of the Garrotxa region that surrounds Olot.
Phil and Chris took the wrong turning in Olot following Chris's Garmin and I got ahead of them using the low tech device of a Michelin map. When Phil stormed past me on the last section to our destination he was not best pleased. I had a second wind and latched onto his wheel as we covered the last 5 miles at 26 mph pace (gradual down hill mind you!).
The Hotel Can Garay at Les Planes d'Hostoles where we stayed, is a large art nouvea ("modernista") house built in 1906 and set in its own beautiful grounds. Sophie, the owner, made us very welcome, washed our cycling kit and served us a superb evening meal for 22 euros. Chris was not feeling well and retired to bed early.
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