KOMOREBI GRAVEL

There are places out there where we could not reach them without a bike. Probably, those forests we went through during the Komorebi Ride would have never been discovered without one. But without a doubt, if gravel has something good, is all those remote places you can reach. Many of these remote places are not accessible with normal vehicles, but they are actually accessible for simple bikes.

Santa Coloma de Farners was the meeting point. 96 kilometers and 2100 meters of elevation ahead. Three remarkable climbs. El Subirà through Castanyet, Coll de Nafré from Osor and Sant Martí Sacalm through Pantà de Susqueda. Around 9am all the groups started pedaling, trying to warm up and leave the cold behind. In those early hours, the temperatures were low. The first climb was not too far.

A section of road until we reached Castanyet would help us to realize that the track designed by David Matheu looked very good. We began to enter the forest. The light and colors of autumn stood out above everything else.

El Subirá

"El Subirà" as the first climb of the day spot on. Nine kilometers at around 5% on average. Is a long climb with very compact terrain, one of those pleasant climbs that you can chat and comment with others as you drag yourself along.

Coll de Nafré

First climb. Done.

Everything that goes up, needs to go down afterward.

6km of a wet descent, crossing rivers and descending switchback after switchback. A couple of little mechanical issues simple enough to be fixed as we go.

Coll de Nafré, the second climb of the day, is waiting for us ahead. Only 4km and 7% of average. Easy business for us.

Coll de Nafré is not as pleasant as the first climb and everyone stopped chatting and started to be a bit quieter. Just at the beginning of the climb there are a few spots where the gradient peaks at 10% It helped us to get us ready for the last climb, Pantá de Susqueda, the real monster of the day.

We are starting to feel tired.

The terrain is very wet and broken. Súmale el terreno roto.

Mentally and physically we are starting to feel worn out.

Pantá de Susqueda

It was not easy to take your eyes out of your front wheel due to the steepness of the terrain. But if you did, you would have seen the Pantá de Susqueda and all its surrounding mountains, an astonishing view.

Each one of us kept climbing at our own pace in spite of all the difficulties of the terrain. Once we made it to the top, we did a fast regroup, ate a couple of energy bars, and descended carefully towards Amer.

From Amer until our destination it was all flat rolling terrain. We were concatenating sections of tarmac and gravel paths. It was the perfect section to ride in groups, helps the weakest riders and tackle the last kilometers of the route.

Everyone had a great day. With more or less fatigue, the faces we could all see once we reached Santa Coloma de Farners were about happiness and satisfaction. 10/10.

We would like to thank everyone involved in the Komorebi Gravel Ride: 3T Bikes for lending us some test bikes, and Brazo de Hierro for the photos of the event.

Let's wait for the next one...

Check the route in Strava

Text: Ismael López