Montserrat, Pic de Estats and the Canigo have an important significance in Catalan identity and are popular hiking spots.

The popularity of cycling in Catalonia is rather recent apart from professional cycling and that’s thanks to American professional road racing cyclist Lance Armstrong. In 2002 he converted the northern Catalan province capital Girona into his home base and gathered numerous professional cyclists around him such as Tyler Hamilton, George Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer among others. The mild climates, good infrastructure, and varied terrain make a great area for cyclists. And then there are the roads. Forget the traffic-choked byways with their squadrons of van drivers’ intent on ramming every bike they see into the nearest hedge. Around Girona, there are so many routes you could ride all year without seeing a car – along the 770 miles of mountain-biking trails, the converted railway lines that form the Vies Verdes (Greenways) and the mile after mile of empty roads that spread out from Girona like a spilled serving of spaghetti.

For the sedate, there are routes as gentle as a feather massage, winding their way slowly through olive groves, vineyards and Dali’s back garden. For those seeking something a little tougher, there are Lance’s favourite mountain passes – such as the gut-tighteningly named Els Angels. 2009’s Tour de France brought a complete stage to Catalonia for the first time in 44 years and for the first time at all to Girona.

The major cultural event "Forum 2004" gave cycling a huge push when principles of sustainable urban development were discussed - the use of an alternative means of transport being one of them. Already host to a great network of cycle lanes, Barcelona will eventually have a network spanning more than 200km, converting the city into a Mediterranean haven for cyclists. A system of community bicycle programs was implemented in March 2007 and was a huge success, with 6000 bikes distributed in more than 400 stations and more than 190000 users.