The Montserrat Loop, and a fire-aware routes map

Hi {{first_name | rider}},

Watching the pros finish the Tour in France, after three weeks of relentless effort through some of the most epic routes, has made us hungry for more adventures of our own, with our humble legs.

The end-of-Tour celebration is somewhat tainted by the wildfires roaring across Spain and France (among other countries), a reminder of how tightly cycling and the natural environment are tied together. More on that below. But first, a new route.

A half-day rolling around Catalonia’s strangest rock, Montserrat, or the “sawed mountain.” Most people go for the Monastery or the hiking. We took the train from Barcelona and looped around the wall of pink pinnacles: steep ramps up, rewarding descents down, and views that pull you back for another go. 69 km, 1,800 m. Read the route here →

Coen splits his year between Barcelona and Amsterdam. He came to gravel after five years on the road bike, and this year finished the Traka 320 on the day everything held: pacing, fuelling, the head. Might be running the largest tyres in Barcelona (55mm), builds his own wheels, and thinks winter is Catalonia’s best season. “Bigger is better,” he writes. Read Coen’s story →

This isn’t the kind of product update we wished we’d have to make, but here we are: you can now see which parks are closed to the public due to fire risk, directly on the routes map. We pull current restrictions from Pla Alfa daily, plus burn scars from EFFIS.

Tip: restrictions show by default; toggle burn scars on in the map filters to see those too. Always check the official sources before rolling out: this is a planning aid, not a substitute. Read the article here →

If there’s information you’d want to see on Gritline, or any feedback on this update, just reply.

Speak in two weeks,

Robin

Gritline is supported by Guava Bikes - handmade gravel bikes from Barcelona. Gritliners get something extra. Access your benefits in your Gritline profile →