I pressed on and rode through border
control in to Andorra around an hour
or so later. The place was super busy in
comparison to the remote feel of the riding
I’d just done in the Pyrenees and because of
that I lost interest in hanging around. I did
about a 20km loop for a quick look about,
shot down to intersect the C16 to Barcelona
and kept riding. I have to say that all the
roads are stunning, in excellent condition
and with fantastic views and bridges that
make for highly enjoyable, safe, high speed
riding – it all very much puts New Zealand’s
piecemeal, low budget approach to road
construction to shame.
Close to Barcelona is Montserrat, a
spectacular mountain with stunning views
over Catalunya. Benedictine monks built
the monastery there that dates way back
and the place sure has a calming vibe. Truly
90 KIWI RIDER
a remarkable place to visit, I’d recommend
taking the cable car to the monastery then
the tram to the top – the view is glorious.
About this time I was starting to get
concerned. My phone was flat, the GPS
unit didn’t work, I had no proper map and I
needed to find a small street in the middle of
a city of two million people. So, I thought I’d
have a crack at fixing the GPS unit... I pulled
over and checked the battery connection
which seemed a logical place to start. Great, a
clicker of life on the GPS screen, so I jammed
a piece of paper under the battery to hold the
connection firm and I was back in business.
An hour later I was back at IMTbike, did the
hand over and walked back to my room.
IMTbike were easy to deal, I’d use them again.
Overall a very cool area to ride in and I’d
recommend it to anyone.