Through the city streets of Barcelona we go, then north into the Pyrenees. The lovely pavement, the empty roads, the relentless curves and the great views. This is why we are here. We eat like locals in the mountain valleys before ride off into more Pyrenees passes. What’s for lunch? The cool mountain air means rich soups of beans, cured ham and cabbage are popular as is the grilled lamb. Locals get a lot of exercise working in the mountains so rich, flavorful, healthy food is the rule. Tonight you stay in the mountain town of Sea D’ Urgel where two rivers come together. Your Parador is just a short walk away from the local cathedral and certainly worth a visit.

A good breakfast and a stop at the local Repsol fuel station and we are off into the mountains again. While many riders compare the Pyrenees to the Alps what’s missing in the Pyrenees is traffic. You’ll cross the Spanish and French border multiple times today as you rail some the of the best curves in the world. You’ll ride through the national treasure of Monte Period Park where the vistas demand we stop for a few photos. We end the day in a high alpine valley above the small village of Bielsa. This Parador is set below the high peaks and offers amazing vistas of the surrounding mountains.

Mountain air is good for the appetite and breakfast views don’t get much better than this. Today you’ll ride five mountain passes on pavement prepared for the the Tour de France. The views and curves reach a pinnacle here. The bikes and pavement may be new but life here hasn’t changed much for centuries. Herding of sheep, ponies and cattle remains much the same. The harvesting of hay to maintain the herds in winter. The less traveled Pyrenees retain more of their traditional look than the more centrally located Alps. We finish the day in the ski resort town of Valle del Tena

Riding down out of the mountains, we’ll play tourist for a bit and stop at one of Aragón’s most impressive castles near the town of Loarre. Perhaps if there is time we will stop in at the massive Basilica in Zaragoza. Across the rolling hills and fertile fields of Aragón we ride, until we see the small fortress town of Alcañiz. This will be our home for the next three nights.

Motorland Aragón is set in the middle of the country and it’s a massive facility. The track itself is 3.3 miles (5.3km) long with moderate elevation changes and very few blind turns. The pavement is good, the run offs are ample and the straights are VERY fast. The lap record is currently held by Franco Morbidelli 1:48.089 set in 2020. Our track bike supplier will have new BMW  S1000RR waiting with Metzler K3 tires or you can upgrade to slicks and warmers. Your coach will work with you on lines and technique while providing on bike video feedback. Troy will of course be teaching various classes on technique.  Take your time and the learn the lines of this incredible track before attempting to go faster…which you will.

Your sore muscles from the day before might hurt but your mind is sharper. At breakfast you already thinking about where you’d like to brake harder, roll on earlier, apex later. A few bikes will have fresh tires on them as it’s easy to go through a set at these speeds. You’ll start to learn where more rubber gets laid down late in the day and shift your lines, your lap times drop. The famous wall of Aragón flies past your left and you know the local track photographer got a few good shots of you.

Put it all together now and watch those lap times drop. You’ve ridden the curves that riders like Marquez and Morbidelli have mastered, you’ll never watch MotoGP at Aragón the same way again.

We are adding a rest day this year. Three days on the track trying to keep Troy Corser in sight can really take it out of you. Sleep in, walk the alleyways of the Alcañiz that's been a center of Motosport long before Motorland was built. Recharge because we've got some crazy fun curves for you tomorrow and you gotta be sharp.