The Baix Empordà Loop

The first thirty kilometres are the easy, generous kind. Flat, fast farm track threading the Empordà plain through a string of villages: Vulpellac, Canapost, and on toward Palafrugell. Near Torrent the route picks up a stretch of the Pirinexus, the cross-border gravel highway, and follows it down almost to Palamós. That's their breakfast stop at El Nuà. Roughly km 30. Fuel up before the climb.

Out of Palamós you turn your back on the sea and go looking for the mountain. The next stretch is the route's one real test with about 5 km of climbing, always on track, hauling you from sea level to the high point at around 350 m. There are a couple of ramps with real bite, but nothing technical; a steady cadence gets you there.

Then the honest part. There are several ways down to Fonteta, and el Bidonet took a rough one with a short segment of big loose rock, maybe 100–200 m. It's brief but stay attentive. Clear it, swing past a farmhouse, and the route hands you your reward: fast, rolling gravel, gently downhill, all the way back into Fonteta.

Moderate overall as it’s flat and quick for most of it, with one proper climb and one cheeky descent. Several possible village stops in the first 30 km of the ride; once you leave Palamós and start climbing, there's nothing until home, so top up before you turn uphill.