As much as I could watch videos about cycling in Spain all day long, perhaps some cities in Italy are in order? There have got to be amazing in the vicinity of the Dolomites, for example.
Hank is quite good at this style of presentation. He's manages to strike just the right balance between letting us get to know the interviewee and enjoying his own engaging and insightful personality. GCN needs to devote Hank's talent primarily to these sorts of videos. Now I've got to make an espresso.
Hi there, Hank knows how to get the best out of people! Who do you think he should interview next? Did you catch him taking in the Girona hills with Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio 👉 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XPCjTCd_Exg.html
Making coffee in the morning and gravel in the afternoon.. sounds pretty good to us 🙌 Christian has put the hard work in for this lifestyle though 💪 If you fancy seeing more of Girona we have a great GCN+ film with Mitch Docker 👉gcn.eu/girona
My wife taught Christian back in 1998 when we were dating, in our home town of Sussex, New Brunswick. At that time he was into mountain biking and when he found out she was dating a "roadie" he said those bikes were for sissies. When he made it to the pro-peloton I was so proud that someone from our home town had made it in pro-cycling, and quite surprised he had been converted to a roadie. It is even more satisfying to see his continued success beyond cycling as a business owner and community builder. We wish Christian continued success!
@@gcn We did cheer Christian on from Canada, and the whole town was behind him. Unfortunately we haven't visited Girona, but when we do we will be sure to stop at his cafe!
Permit me a little rave here. We love La Fabrica and always start our Girona breaks there. Not enough was shown of the real food they do, which is super healthy and super tasty. Their cakes and pastries are also fabulous. ❤
The adventures of Hank... now that sounds like a fun show! 🙌 Where should we send him next? Did you catch his adventures in states? 👉 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dgGMjad19DU.html
You say Girona as the best cycling destination in the world because you don't know the Algarve, south of Portugal, and the Serra Algarvia... Much cheaper, picturesque, lots of cyclists (and triathletes) and nice cafés and Pastéis de nata 😁 Come and visit!
Super content again gcn! But title should really be" How ex pro and HIS WIFE " changed Girona forever! Would have loved to hear from Amber as well because the shop is really her thing. What an amazing team! Love this backstory! So interesting to have a wider spectrum! More of this content please! Hank is an amazing interviewer and his enthusiasm is infectious!
Love GCN but how will it survive in a post World Economic Forum 15 minute cities, individual carbon footprint, no international flying world that it is forcing due to carbon & man made climate change bollox...... ? How will cycling survive in a Europe with no coffee, no tea (too carbon heavy to transport worldwide..) ?
Hahaha yes! There is a balance to be had! For those not sure what we are talking about... Hank had a bot of a melt down on this ride! 👉 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4StcKDohjLE.html
I went to Girona in October. Did Rocacorba, Costa Brava...it was amazing. No gravel for me though. Wish I saw this vid before I went though. Would have hit La Fabrica while there.
Poor Hank. Sending him to these terrible places and working him like a dog must be very difficult for him. I'm awfully impressed with Christian and Amber's drive and motivation, and I'm hoping to run into them whenever I make it to Girona. 😁
Hahahah yep, we really turned on the heat for this video 😂 Looks like a bit of a holiday to us... have we been duped into paying for his get away! If you fancy a bit more Girona we have this great GCN+ film 👉gcn.eu/girona
Cracking video. Love Girona and intend to spend a lot more time there! Love what Christian has done. Spoke to him once and he was humble and generous with his time 🙂👍
Super cool to hear that Christian spoke with you 🙌 He's a great team player, from the pro ranks to his new ventures! We have a great GCN+ film about Girona if you fancy living the Spanish dream a little longer 👉 gcn.eu/girona
Nice to see Christian and Amber continue to expand on their dream. I recall talking to them about this in 2014 and I was lucky enough to go riding with Christian in Vancouver. I am also lucky enough to have a signed TDF bib number of his on my wall in my office. I love how he always brings it back to Amber. They are a great team. Congrats to both great video.
They are a killer team! Girona wouldn't be the safe cycling hotspot without them 🙌 It's great to hear that you've ridden with Christian! Have you visited any of his Girona spots? 👀
@@gcn He was a good quiet kid! He was the first local rider I met when I moved to his home town. When I first met him he had just transitioned to more road/mtn from DOWNHILL believe it or not! I was actually faster than he was back then....but it didn't last! 😂 His grandparents were Bavarian immigrants and opened the best restaurant for 100 miles and some of Christian's art work is still on the wall there! His grandmother is still alive and will often visit you to make sure your meal is good. I remember putting his bike on the roof of my car and going into Fundy National Park to chase around the local fast guy! Good memories.
As a coffee Roaster who loves cycling... this is a amazing mini documentary. Coffee and cycling are so hand in hand and its amazing to see someone who started a career in cycling become a super fan of coffee and start his own career with it and become incredibly successful. Maybe i can kick start my cycling career and become successful at 30.... as if. As always, love the content folks at GCN!
Nothing special TBH it is very over-hyped. Super cold in winter and cooking in summer. Really lots of better places in Southern Europe to visit, or live and to train.
Go. October was perfect. 75-80 degrees every day. More laid back than other locations that are now just too crowded like Majorca. I did a Trek Travel Bike Camp which I highly recommend.
I often forget that I'm so lucky to have grown up in Seattle where coffee culture is king and I'm surrounded by small batch roasters, nitch shops, and a great cappuccino
@@gcn Here's an idea: Hank can climb Mt. Diablo, Mt. Tamalpais, and Mt. Hamilton in one day, and then do pizza and coffee (or other libation) in North Beach.
Nice Place, for sure!... but It’s a pity that most of the ex-pro cyclist who settled down in Girona, they didn’t even realize that they’re not in Spain, but in Catalonia. I don’t see any sort of respect to the local language and culture… Nor even in their business names… certainly sad…
This is awesome. In 5 weeks, we are headed back to Spain again, and I have now solidified our first visit to Girona. Of course, we will make the first stop at La Fabrica and can not wait to experience this fantastic city for the first time.
That's what we like to hear! It's such a cool little spot. It deserves a place on every cyclists list 🙌 You can catch our Girona film here if you need any more reasons to visit 👉gcn.eu/girona
We're sure we can do more! Great to hear that you are loving this sort of content, did you catch Hank's other Girona Interview? 👉ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XPCjTCd_Exg.html
Great video. Specialty coffee and good baristas are quite rare at my place, so a good coffee is my main motivation for long rides. Your video made me quite hungry for a ride. 😅
I took the train to Girona from Barcelona in July, so I could ride back through the mountains. I knew La Fabrica would be a great spot for breakfast, but I didn't expect it to be so beautiful, or for the food to be so exquisitely prepared and presented. Clearly, a very high standard is maintained. and La Fabrica far transcends 'cycling theme cafe' - it's not that at all. My wife would have loved it; my muesli had edible flowers on it!
As a Canadian we followed Christian Meier's cycling career. He was always at the top of the list because of his life perspective. When he retired from cycling we had heard about his "coffee shop" in Girona. This interview was 10 out of 10. It filled in the the past few years and provided the perspective that people can put quality and customer service ahead of short run profit. AND guess what? Profit and quality of life happens and is sustainable. Congratulations Amber and Christian. And good job Hank.
Wade Wallace (founder of CyclingTips and also Canadian) did an excellent interview with Christian and his post racing ventures in his From The Top podcast.
Good to see talented cyclists become successful in other areas of life after the racing ends. Christian is a super chill Canuck, and insanely talented. Thank you for this video.
I'm cyclist (been cycling for years), I do not drink coffee, and no just because one can be a cyclist...it doesn't mean coffee goes hand in had with that lol. Stop giving off the look or vibe hat the cycling community/professionals is monolithic (when they're not).
The American version of a cafe stop is getting a Monster and a donut from the gas station. Also I went to Girona this summer, and I had no clue it was a cycling destination
