TURRÓ DE L'HOME 2021
To eat some nougat treats you need to earn them. The treats are waiting for you at the highest point of Montseny.
We usually say thank you at the end, but this time we will start with it We probably had the best day and the best weather you could possibly have in December, and we thank the odds for that. Turró de l'Home has become already a Christmas ride classic and we have been missing it for over 2 years due to the covid restrictions. Last year we could not hold the event due to the sanitary restrictions that were in place at that time and we really wanted to go back to the top of Montseny.
Extremely extremely extremely cold morning. The little amount of heat that we produced riding up the first climb of the day, Coll de la Ventosa, quickly fades out of your body. El Vallès and La Carretera de la Roca, in the middle of winter, are completely unforgiving. Three degrees below zero sustained for a long time is not quite pleasant for your body, or your hands, or your feet. Fortunately, after the first hours of the morning have passed, the sun begins to rise over the Serralada Litoral while we can have the first views of Montseny, completely clear.
The flat rolling of the vallés are over. We leave the C-35 road to start the main climb of the day. 30,5km uphill with an average gradient of 5%, with a final section of 6km at 8% average. There are several different ways to reach the top of Turó de L'Home, but we decided to choose the one that starts at Sant Esteve de Palautordera, the little "Mortirolo". This road takes you to the Costas del Monseny road so we could head to the junction of Turó de L' Home.
A long long climb. Very long. Each one of us take a different approach physically and mentally to make it to the top. At the end is your choise.
You can choose to suffer. Or to be conservative. Or to help someone. Maybe an explosion? Maybe you have just reviving from bonking.
Just find your way. And enjoy.
One by one, the kilómeters are ticking by. Luckily for us, the hardest ramps are separated from each other. And the day is now 15 degrees Celsius warmer, so it feels fantastic. Completely clear skies and not a single gust of wind. Total silence and the whole mountain just for you. Boxes and boxes of nougat are awaiting you at the top. And this year is probably one of the best nougats you can try. At the top of the Turó, a cycling enthusiast is waiting for us with it. Lluc Crusellas, a longtime cyclist and chocolatier by profession, had prepared us an amazing combo of his Eukarya nougats to give us a good energy boost so we could come back with confidence back to Barcelona.
Regroup, bundle up together, and let's start the descend, which is dangerous and long. We were descending towards the Coll de Santa Helena, then Santa Fé Town, and finally, Sant Celoni, so we could ride back through the C-35 road.
We were re-riding the same steps we rode in the morning. Different groups bundle together to help each other to ride faster and be early back home. Some of them decided that they did not have enough, and came back to Barcelona through the Coll de la Ventosa, another extra 300m of climbing for your legs.
To sum up: 165km and almost 2600m of climbing. Different speeds and levels of suffering. Everyone is at the same level of excitement: 15 out of 10.
We wanted some nougat, and we deserved it!
Photos x Tour Pics y Xavi Derch.
Exquisite nougats prepared by Eukarya nougats.
Text: Ismael López
