Catalonia is a region of scenic contrasts. The Pyrenees meet the Mediterranean Sea, and the largest cities are surrounded by a network of lonely cycling paths. It’s difficult to find a consensus about what gravel riding is like in the area, but we all recommend you to spend multiple days there to check it firsthand.

The Capitals is the true tour of Catalonia on gravel, with a route that runs through the four provincial capitals clockwise, starting from Barcelona. With its 840 kilometers and 14,000 meters of elevation gain, this event once again allowed cycling enthusiasts to discover, or re-enjoy, much of what the region has to offer.

Exploring Catalonia in one push

The fourth edition of the event, organized by Pedalma, began next to the Montjuïc cable car in Barcelona on July 20th at 6:00 a.m. The five checkpoints, where every participant received the corresponding stamp, were located in each of the four provincial capitals and Bagà, a municipality located halfway through the section with the highest elevation gain of the route.

Sixty-five brave riders set off on the adventure. Sebastian Breuer and Conor McKenzie quickly took the lead, and throughout the first day, they created a large gap over the rest of the participants. This was the first event of the second part of his season for Seb, after finishing second at The Traka Adventure and racking up a multitude of kilometers on various cycling adventures. Conor also finished in the top 10 at The Traka a few months ago, and was familiar with much of The Capitals route, having participated in the 2023 edition.

They flew past CP1 in Tarragona, and barely 10 hours had passed when the pair reached Lleida, with 268 km already in the legs. Not far behind was Anuchi Gago, the 2023 Basajaun winner with extensive experience across all distances. She started from the back but quickly moved into the top five overall.

Weather contrasts

As expected, the July heat had a notable impact on the participants’ performance and strategy. Making sure to refill their bottles whenever possible, avoiding riding in areas of extreme heat at certain times of the day, and so on. Ultra-distance requires constant awareness of external factors and knowing how to adapt to adversity and sudden changes, such as the storm the leaders faced on the first afternoon after passing through Ponts. Íñigo Bravo continued advancing despite the weather conditions and managed to catch up with Conor and Seb.

Conor told us that one of his favorite sections was the ascent to Montant de Tost, at kilometer 400. Shortly after, they reached the portage section in the Pedraforca massif. This was the highlight of the route for Anuchi, but as always, it all depends on the time of day and the conditions.

The highest point of the route was the Coll de Pal, at 2,106 meters above sea level. It’s a climb frequented by road cyclists, but while they have to turn around at the top as there’s no paved road on the other side, the gravel bikes allowed The Capitals participants to descend towards La Molina and proceed with the concatenation of climbs that would take them to Camprodon.

Once most of the climbing was behind

Before reaching that point, Sebastian Breuer had to put an end to his participation due to a mechanical problem, leaving Íñigo in front with Conor in pursuit mode. They rode at high speed along the famous greenway that connects Olot to the Mediterranean Sea.

Familiar with the area, Conor overtook Íñigo before the final checkpoint, located at the Hors Categorie restaurant in Girona. Without even getting off his bike, he got his card stamped, and after a final stretch along the greenway, he tackled the final hundred kilometers, riding parallel to the coast, with some mountainous difficulties left to tackle.

He rode this final stretch at night and pushed himself to the limit, as he thought that the second-place finisher was catching him. He finally reached the Arc de Triomf in Barcelona with a lead of more than three hours, for a total of 47 hours and 46 minutes on the bike. Anuchi, who rode past Girona at 5 a.m. on July 22nd, arrived in Barcelona around 4 p.m. to secure a well-deserved podium finish.

The first finishers could, in great measure, avoid the storm that lasted for more than a day over the final third of the route. Several of those who were in high mountain areas at the time ended up scratching due to the cold, and the plans of many other plans were truncated to the impossibility of riding in those conditions.

That final stretch fostered friendships and a multitude of stories to tell, as ultra-distance events offer all kinds of experiences. Fifty-six participants rang the bell at the finish line and returned home proud to say they completed The Capitals, one of the most beautiful and well-organized events in the country.