Is Girona Losing Its Throne as Cycling’s Hotspot?

For years, Girona has worn the crown as the world’s cycling capital. If you’ve ever pedalled through its quiet Catalan roads, sipped a cortado at one of its bike cafés, or spotted a WorldTour pro at the next table, you’ll understand why. Girona isn’t just another cycling destination it became the destination.

But recently, a question has started to surface. Whispers in cafés, posts on forums, even the odd conversation with locals: Has Girona peaked? And more provocatively have influencers and social media put its throne at risk?

Girona’s Rise to Fame

The ingredients were always there. A Mediterranean climate that makes winter training bearable, mountains and rolling hills on the doorstep, quiet rural roads that seem designed for long endurance rides. It’s no wonder pro cyclists began settling here in the late 1990s.

Once the peloton moved in, so did the infrastructure. Bike shops, service course-style mechanics, cycling-friendly cafés the whole ecosystem followed. What used to be a quiet Catalan city quietly transformed into a buzzing cycling hub. By 2018, an estimated 40,000 cycling tourists were visiting Girona each year, staying on average ten days and pumping €89 million into the local economy. Not bad for a city of under 100,000 people.

And it’s not just numbers on paper. Both Eva and I lived in Girona for a period, long enough to see what makes the city so magnetic. From early morning rollouts up Els Àngels to afternoons spent working in cafés full of other cyclists, life there was a blend of training, culture, and community. It’s a lifestyle that’s hard not to fall in love with.

The Social Media Effect

Fast forward to today, and Girona is everywhere. Scroll through Instagram, and it’s not long before you see a perfectly framed shot of Rocacorba, a coffee stop at La Fabrica, or a gravel adventure heading towards the Pyrenees. YouTube vlogs, Strava heatmaps, and influencer-led cycling camps have turned Girona into a global bucket-list destination.

This exposure has been a double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s fantastic for the city’s cycling businesses. Girona has cemented itself as the backdrop to countless photos, rides, and stories. But the very hype that made Girona so appealing is also creating pressure on the roads, on housing, and on the relationship between cyclists and locals.

Cracks in the Crown

Spend long enough in Girona and you’ll hear it: the grumblings of overtourism. Graffiti has appeared on bike shops, anti-tourism slogans on walls, and locals have voiced frustrations over rising rents in neighbourhoods like Barri Vell. Some residents feel that the influx of cyclists and particularly the influencer-driven wave has tipped the balance.

It’s not hard to see why. Group rides filling narrow streets, cafés that once served locals now catering almost exclusively to cyclists, and a housing market increasingly shaped by Airbnbs. For residents, the cycling boom brings both opportunity and disruption.

When we lived there, we noticed both sides of this coin. The joy of rolling out with a bunch of riders from all over the world was real, but so was the awareness that Girona wasn’t “just ours.” It belonged to locals first, and you could sense the tension when the balance tipped too far.

A Divided Perspective

Interestingly, the cycling community itself is split. On forums like Reddit, you’ll find riders complaining that Girona feels “hugely oversaturated,” while others gush about it being the best three weeks of riding they’ve ever had. For some, the crowds are a dealbreaker. For others, the community atmosphere is the very thing that makes Girona special.

“Girona is full of cyclists from all over, but I've heard it's getting hugely over-saturated with riders,” noted one user. Reddit
“Airbnb is for bastards…”
Another:

“With all this 'It's over, it's not over'—I'll just be riding in the snow and rain of my home country next February.” Reddit

And another joyful report:

“I have been here for 3 weeks … The riding here is absolutely amazing… world-class food… world-class riders all over the place.” Reddit

So some see it as crowded, others still see it as paradise.

That’s the paradox: Girona’s charm lies in its blend of world-class riding and shared cycling culture. But what happens when that culture becomes too concentrated?

Has Girona Been Dethroned?

So, is Girona losing its throne? Not yet. The roads are still quiet once you roll beyond the city. The climbs are still spectacular, the gravel network seemingly endless. The cafés still buzz with post-ride stories. The fundamentals that made Girona a hotspot haven’t disappeared.

What has changed is the narrative. Girona is no longer the “hidden gem” it once was. It’s mainstream, and that shift comes with growing pains. Other cities places like Calpe, Málaga, or even Slovenia’s Ljubljana are starting to pitch themselves as alternatives. But Girona’s crown isn’t gone; it’s just under a little more pressure than before.

The Road Ahead

Girona’s future as the world’s cycling capital depends on balance. On one side, the cycling community must respect the city as more than just a playground. On the other, the city itself has to manage growth in a way that keeps locals on board while supporting its cycling economy.

For now, Girona is still on top. But whether it holds its throne will depend less on influencers, and more on how riders, brands, and the city itself choose to share the roads, cafés, and culture that made it so special in the first place.

We lived it, and we’ve seen both sides. So what do you think? Is Girona still the cycling hotspot, or is it time for another city to step up?