The best cycling routes around Sant Vicenç De Montalt

The parish of Sant Andreu is already documented in 1083, but this church is not that one: the current one began to be built in 1825 and was inaugurated in 1848 because the town had grown and the medieval temple had been left away from the center. The curious thing is inside: it preserves a 16th-century baptismal font, probably from the old church. And the image of Sant Andreu that currently presides over the altar is also not the original: it is from after the Civil War. So the building is about 200 years old, the font about 500, and the parish almost 1,000. One of those places that seem to have nothing special until you start to scratch a little.

Lost in Montnegre and surrounded by forest, this small hermitage has been here for almost a thousand years. It is already documented in 1079, but when they started excavating around it, they discovered that the history of the place was even older. Beneath your feet is a necropolis with burials dating from the Early Middle Ages to the 18th century, and remains were even found that suggest this corner was already occupied in Roman times. For centuries it was a place of worship and meeting for the scattered farmhouses in these mountains. One of the traditional gatherings of the area was held here until the Carlist wars, the abandonment of rural life, and the passage of time eventually left it practically forgotten. The image and the bell were eventually removed, and the building deteriorated until it fell into ruin. The curious thing is that it has returned from the dead. After years of excavations and volunteer work, the hermitage has been recovered and rebuilt, respecting the floor plan of the old medieval temple. So if you arrive here by bike, look carefully at the ground before thinking you have only found a small church in the middle of the forest: Romans, medieval inhabitants, hermits, and entire generations of people from Montnegre passed through this same small pass long before you.

Small and discreet, but with more than 500 years of history. It has been documented since 1508 and its origin is linked to a time when the plague struck these lands: Sant Sebastià was precisely one of the saints invoked for protection against epidemics. The hermitage was practically in ruins in the 19th century and it was, curiously, families of summer visitors from Llavaneres who helped to restore it. Even today, the traditional Aplec de Sant Sebastià is celebrated here. If you arrive by bike, it is worth a short stop. Five centuries ago, people climbed to this very spot seeking something much more important than good views: that the disease would pass them by.

This place has it all: 5,000 years of history, witches, and even a 19th-century reconstruction that nobody really knows how closely it resembles the original. For centuries, the legend said that the witches of the region used to meet here for their covens. What we do know is that in 1855, Josep Pradell decided to restore the dolmen and replaced the enormous top slab. It was, none other than, the first known restoration of a dolmen in Catalonia. So when you arrive by bike and see that kind of enormous stone table in the middle of the forest, stop for a moment. Prehistory, legends, and a good deal of mystery concentrated in a few meters. And if you arrive at dusk and see someone circling the stones... I wouldn't ask. I'd keep cycling.

One of those places where it's worth slowing down a bit and looking around. Towering trees, dense forest, and a light that, when it filters through the canopy, makes this stretch spectacular. In summer, the shade is also greatly appreciated. And you're in Vallgorguina, land of forests, dolmens, and old witch stories. Very close by, in Pedra Gentil, tradition says that covens and witch gatherings were held. I don't know if any remain, but if you pass through here with this light, you perfectly understand why so many legends were born in these woods. A beautiful stretch to enjoy by bike without rushing.

Del s.XVII. Construcció cilíndrica, limitada amb gruixuts murs de paredat que tenien la funció de mantenir la temperatura constant. Coberta amb volta de pedra de mitja taronja i teula àrab amb ràfec. Al costat nord hi ha tres contraforts de paredat i la boca de sortida del gel. Aquest es feia en un passadís-mina, que va desaparèixer en ser remodelat l’entorn i el camí. Font: Ajuntament de Dosrius

Good morning route. No difficulties

An iconic point that marks the entrance to Mataró. Laia l’Arquera, created by local artist Josep Maria Rovira i Brull in 1998, stands 34 meters tall as a symbol of the city. It represents a prehistoric woman with a bow, but with a key detail: it points towards Burriac castle, connecting the present with the Iberian origins of the territory. More than a decorative figure, its creator conceived it as a kind of goddess linked to the land and the identity of the place. A good stopping point to look up for a moment before continuing to ride.