Best road bike routes in Barcelona 2026: 10 free GPX loops

Looking for the best road rides around Barcelona? Start with the curated loops in the Tailwind GPS Barcelona route library — free to browse, free to download as GPX, and scored hour by hour for wind so you can pick a departure time that feels good.

Below are the top 10 routes from the library leaderboard (ranked by rating × popularity), with verified distance and elevation from the manifest.

Leaderboard: top road bike routes in Barcelona

The routes

1. Els Àngels and Santa Pellaia loop — 53.7 km / 839 m

Ranked #1 in the Tailwind GPS Barcelona library leaderboard (popularity score 209.04). Preview the map, filter by distance or elevation, and download the GPX free from the city hub.

View Els Àngels and Santa Pellaia loop →

2. Les Gavarres loop — 78.7 km / 1094 m

Ranked #2 in the Tailwind GPS Barcelona library leaderboard (popularity score 202.37). Preview the map, filter by distance or elevation, and download the GPX free from the city hub.

View Les Gavarres loop →

3. Tibidabo and Collserola loop — 39.2 km / 821 m

Ranked #3 in the Tailwind GPS Barcelona library leaderboard (popularity score 179.63). Preview the map, filter by distance or elevation, and download the GPX free from the city hub.

View Tibidabo and Collserola loop →

4. Premià de Mar and Besòs river loop — 64.4 km / 596 m

Ranked #4 in the Tailwind GPS Barcelona library leaderboard (popularity score 161.63). Preview the map, filter by distance or elevation, and download the GPX free from the city hub.

View Premià de Mar and Besòs river loop →

5. Riudecanyes reservoir and Coll de la Teixeta loop — 60.7 km / 935 m

Ranked #5 in the Tailwind GPS Barcelona library leaderboard (popularity score 143.29). Preview the map, filter by distance or elevation, and download the GPX free from the city hub.

View Riudecanyes reservoir and Coll de la Teixeta loop →

6. Llemena loop — 57.3 km / 606 m

Ranked #6 in the Tailwind GPS Barcelona library leaderboard (popularity score 130.57). Preview the map, filter by distance or elevation, and download the GPX free from the city hub.

View Llemena loop →

7. Santa Creu d'Olorda loop — 35.3 km / 751 m

Ranked #7 in the Tailwind GPS Barcelona library leaderboard (popularity score 127.33). Preview the map, filter by distance or elevation, and download the GPX free from the city hub.

View Santa Creu d'Olorda loop →

8. Collserola and Rabassada climb loop — 77.7 km / 1590 m

Ranked #8 in the Tailwind GPS Barcelona library leaderboard (popularity score 117.25). Preview the map, filter by distance or elevation, and download the GPX free from the city hub.

View Collserola and Rabassada climb loop →

9. Sant Grau d'Ardenya loop — 54 km / 910 m

Ranked #9 in the Tailwind GPS Barcelona library leaderboard (popularity score 113.73). Preview the map, filter by distance or elevation, and download the GPX free from the city hub.

View Sant Grau d'Ardenya loop →

10. Girona plains villages loop — 40.7 km / 285 m

Ranked #10 in the Tailwind GPS Barcelona library leaderboard (popularity score 110.07). Preview the map, filter by distance or elevation, and download the GPX free from the city hub.

View Girona plains villages loop →

How to choose the right route for the day

1. Distance and time window. Match kilometres to the hours you actually have.
2. Elevation. Climbing metres matter more than distance alone on punchy loops.
3. Near vs day-trip. Some library loops stay close to Barcelona; others are longer classics worth a train or longer start.
4. Wind. A city-centre forecast will not tell you whether the outbound leg is a headwind.

Tailwind GPS gives every saved route a Tailwind Score (0–100) for each departure hour. Scores of 80+ mean favourable tailwinds for most of the ride; below 40 expect a tough one. Free accounts get a 3-day forecast and up to 3 saved routes.

How to get the GPX and score your departure hour

1. Open the Barcelona hub
2. Filter by distance or elevation if needed
3. Preview a loop on the map
4. Download the GPX (free)
5. Save the route and compare Tailwind Scores on the map

You can also draw your own cycling route, upload a GPX, or connect Strava.

Get the GPX and score your departure hour

All of these routes are free to browse and download at the Tailwind GPS Barcelona cycling routes hub. Filter, preview, download, then compare departure hours before you roll out.