Bikecat Cycling Tours SL is based in Girona and we are the only company run by local guides.
Cycling in Girona and Costa Brava is a destination many bike tour companies have in their calendar.
We believed from the beginning that the best way to enjoy and experience a cycling tour is to share it with the locals.
The cyclists and friends who come and visit encourage our work and personal attention, characteristic of Bikecat cycling Tours.
The Bikecat team is formed by group of friends, passionate about the sport and who love to share their home and favorite places.
OUR TEAM
Jaume Cabruja
Born in Barcelona, Jaume grew up between the capital and Girona where he soon started to road race. After graduating as a Chemical Engineer (IQS), he had the opportunity to work and travel in many countries, always bringing a bicycle with him.
He likes to challenge himself anywhere and anytime: Australia, Venezuela, New Zealand, Borneo, Denmark and the US. Sharing his interest and enthusiasm for this sport and his sense of humor, he conceived the idea of Bikecat Cycling Tours.
Being fluent in English, Spanish and Catalan (the unique language of the region), Jaume enjoys sharing the wonders of his homeland and spending time with people who come to ride with him.
Josep Aromir
Josep grew up in Tossa del Mar and was raised between the mountains and the sea.
He has always had a great love for nature and sports. This led him to be a Sports Technician and to study Excercise Science at the EUSES University in Girona. Then, he pursued a degree in chiro-practics and sports massage.
Josep has been training on mountain and road bikes for many years and his interest has not stopped growing. He loves to share the sport and enjoys the companionship on the rides.
Nick Whitelaw
Nick has been around bikes all his life. He started riding mountainbike as a kid with his older brother and friends. He loves all different types of cycling, from suffering on the tarmac to hitting some jumps in the mountains or testing his balance in trials.
Nick works as a mountain bike instructor for kids and as a cycling & MTB guide. He has done the “Camino de Santiago” twice by bike, 1.000+ Km, and considers cycling the best way to discover new places. He has a degree in business administration and is a certified cycling guide.
Nick loves sharing his passion for Catalan culture, traditions and knows all the best places to visit.
He enjoys working with Bikecat because they have the same way of understanding what a great cycling tour should be and having local people share their knowledge about the area, the rides, villages, culture and cuisine.
Debbie Stein
Originally from South Carolina, she graduated in French Literature and Translation from USC in Columbia, SC. She has been traveling to France every year since until she met Jaume, whereupon she began traveling to Spain even more. She has worked as a high school French teacher in New Jersey for 5 years, in Human Resources, and volunteers when she can at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, FL.
Since living in Girona, she has learned Catalan and Spanish, how to clip in and her French has been getting rustier ever since. Debbie loves being outdoors and enjoys swimming, running, hiking and cycling.
She enjoys traveling and every adventure that comes along with having a little son. With Bikecat she takes great care in planning and organizing activities for non-riding companions, and for everyone outside the rides, to enjoy their vacation.
Jordi Cantal
Like most of the kids from a village around here, all of his youth was spent on a bike. So much so, that he has no idea exactly when he started riding. He bought his first mountain bike at 18 with his first Forest Ranger paycheck, and then started competing in local competitions.
He combined mountain biking with climbing, hiking and skiing. In 1995, he began studying Geology and riding got left behind for a while. A few years later, he joined the firemen and thanks to the great amount of free time of this profession, he can now do serious rides three to four days a week.
Since 2002, he has been going to see Le Tour pedaling between the peaks of the Alps and Pyrenees. Now with Bikecat Cycling Tours, he can enjoy and share this sport with all of you.
Bikecat in the media
Welcome to ProVille / Cyclist Magazine
Last October we headed out with some guys from Cyclist Magazine, a new cycling magazine based in London. They had a very ambitious route planned of about 160km with two good climbs, Amer and Rocacorba.
Cycling in the Catalan city of Girona is not like cycling anywhere else. It’s not simply that the weather is better than most places, although the crisp autumn morning when we meet for our ride is perfect for a day out on bikes… Read the full article here.
Words Mark Bailey Photography Paul Calver. The issue #3 of Cyclist Magazine covering Bikecat and Cycling in Girona was published in January 2013.
Magic in the Mountains / Road CC
In May, James Warrener came to do a ride and wrote an article in the online magazine Road CC.
…the chance of a day’s guided riding and coaching with Girona based Bikecat, whilst on holiday, was too good a birthday treat to miss!!
The first ‘proper’ climb came after a 12% hill that didnt count !!! it was a road used by the likes of Michael Barry, George Hincapie and Bradley Wiggins. In fact locally, I believe, it is known as Hincapie Hill. The road was marked with countdowns “GPM (King of the Mountains Point) 6km” and surprisingly on this climb it acted as motivation.
Read the complete article online at www.road.cc by James Warrener.
Travel: My Girona Holiday / PEZ Cycling
PEZ-Fan and noted San Francisco chef Thom Fox recently took his first cycling trip to Europe. Good thing for us he chose Girona Spain as his base, and even better that he chronicled his experiences traveling with his bike – and riding in the area. We should all do this… soon.
…Included in the group ride that day were women’s US National Critireum champion Theresa Cliff-Ryan, her husband Gary (a track sprint racer) and none other than Freddie Rodriguez. In fact this was the first annual Fast Freddie – BikeCat training camp. Pez Cycling Full article.
Girona, Spain: Riding in the pros’ backyards /
Canadian Cycling Magazine
Michael Barry, a long time resident of Girona, wrote an article about cycling in Girona, Spain. It is a travel article written for the Canadian Cycling Magazine. It includes some photos from his wife, Dede Barry, and a friend, Jordi Cantal, who has also been on many of Bikecat’s tours in Girona.
I am posting the full article here. Or read the online version at Canadian Cycling Magazine.