Rocacorba with David Millar - Cycling Inspiration & Education
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 พ.ค. 2016
- Within a stone's throw of the beautiful Costa Brava and Pyrénées, the medieval town of Girona has been home to many of the world's professional cyclists for close to two decades, offering the perfect environment for a cyclist looking to hone their form on quiet roads and with favourable year round temperatures. There are a few of these 'pro havens' scattered around Europe, each having their own self proclaimed testing ground - usually involving a steep slither of road well off the beaten track where riders can test their form as season goals approach.
While Nice is famous for the Col de la Madone and Lucca the Monte Serra, Girona has its very own secret amongst friends, just 20 kilometres north of the old town. Named after the 12th century Santuari de Rocacorba that sits just shy of the summit this is a climb that, although not as well known as some of the more popular peaks, has a significance all of its own - especially for one rider in particular.
A pro for 18 years David Millar's turbulent career has been well documented, most notably in his books 'Racing Through the Dark' and 'The Racer'. Having moved to Girona a decade ago Millar is part of the history of Rocacorba, in fact the climb had such significance to the Scotsman that it's woven deep into the tapestry of life well after racing and now as a social bike rider with the creation of Velo Club Rocacorba.
I'd bumped into David in an airport a few months ago which got me thinking about how to really unlock Rocacorba's heritage the way I'd like to. Naturally that involved Millar himself. Thankfully the stars aligned and a few weeks later we were sat outside the Aquarium cafe in Banyoles - the same cafe Millar used to stop at before hitting the climb hard as a pro. Fortunately for me those days are behind him now so I got to see the climb at a social pace which meant I didn't have to grind my teeth or chew my stem (this time).
Leaving the tranquil lakeside setting of Banyoles and casually rolling out of town we picked up a sign for Pujarnol, it's here you'll see the first sign for Rocacorba too but don't be tempted to hit the gas too soon. It's not until you've covered 2.9km and cross the small bridge over the Matamors river that the proverbial clock starts ticking. From here the road starts to ramp up, its changing gradient makes finding a rhythm harder than you'd expect from a relatively short 13.8km ascent at an average of 6.5%. If you're not out to simply enjoy the view then the secret to riding Rocacorba lies in riding the easier sections hard, where we'd normally encourage you to eat, drink and get back in the green. The sight of the radio masts signals you're approaching the summit and, whilst we can't guarantee you'll get a welcome like we had from the Velo Club Rocacorba (this is a once a year special) we can say that if you pick your day well then the views from the top are well worth the discomfort on the way up.
Start: Banyoles
Length: 13.8km
Summit: 970m
Elevation gain: 881m
Average gradient: 6.5%
Max gradient: 15%
Ridden in March
For more info and advice on the Costa Brava and Girona Pyrénées visit en.costabrava.org.
Thank you to our partners Mavic, Cannondale, Exposure Lights, Fi’zi:k, Haute Route, Lezyne, Map My Tracks, Muc Off, Scicon, The Sufferfest, TORQ and USE for enabling us to bring these truly special mountains to life for you all. If you're in need of new bike kit in the future and you enjoyed this video then bear them in mind and help keep the wheels turning :-)
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Stay well, ride safe and thank you for watching.
Mike Cotty
The Col Collective
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There is so much cycling content on YT these days, but Col Collective has always set the standard 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
"It's climbing for the sake of climbing. It doesn't matter how long it takes, just getting to the top is important" - Well said
Some of TH-cam's best filmed content..
thanks Mike and your team...it just keeps getting better!
Another wonderful superb Col Collective video! Thanks to Mike and David and to the photographers & directors who capture this stuff for the rest of us to enjoy.
Great stuff! More Cotty brilliance.!! I had the pleasure of riding this climb during a training camp in 2011 and that 6km point destroyed me. I got dropped and the mind games within my efforts started. Brings back great memories of great friends. Thanks for this
Once again ! Really makes me feel proud of my passion Reminds me of why I ride Thanks man ! Muy bien Muchacho Rocacorba here I come !
Surely one of the best cycling content on TH-cam, keep it up guys ! Amazing emotions through this video.
Stunning video. Fantastic content and information, sublime visuals and cinematography, complemented and woven together by atmospheric and absolutely perfect music.
Beautiful work as always @Mike, ever so happy to keep watching your videos... wonderful work by the team to capture the beauty of the climb. beautiful music and a really nice climb. Keep inspiring. Cheers.
In my opinion this has to be the best of the col collective videos yet👍 thanks as always for the inspiration Mike👍😁
thanks..great upload and riding with one of my heroes chapeau!!
Mike.... Absolutely embodies all the quality and inspiration that the col collective delivers. Your superb videos inspire me to get to the far flung places with my bike - the pyrenees this fall as i'll be living just across the border in France!
Superb work again Mike and team..you captured the spirit of the ride..the essence of what it means to the local riders..great intro and David Millar stylish as ever..thank you
Very nice, David's one class act...and still looking svelte and strong as ever!!
another inspirational oeuvre. Thank you.
The classy cycling cloth of David is amazing!
Great work Mike and the team. A fantastic video!
Wow! Another great video & best yet
Brilliant video, great scenery...have to admit I use the David Millar Garmin advert sometimes we I need inspiration to get out and ride... The bit were he's climbing out of Girona, with the backdrop behind him is truly stunning.....