How This Ex-Pro Cyclist Changed Girona Forever | Girona Uncovered Ep. 2
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- Опубліковано 29 чер 2024
- For many of us, coffee and cycling go hand in hand. In the cycling hub of Girona, Canadian ex-pro cyclist Christian Meier and his wife Amber have turned this passion into a business, starting a mini coffee empire through their café La Fábrica and the Espresso Mafia roastery. Hank visited Christian to find out more about life in Girona and went out for a ride on some of the city’s popular gravel trails.
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00:00 Intro
00:47 La Fábrica
07:51 Gravel ride with Christian
11:25 Overland
12:54 Espresso Mafia
15:40 Summary
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Which other cities would you like us to visit next? 🗺
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.
Andorra
Sydney, Australia
GCN Hawai’i, the Kona no socks 🧦 edition, but climb some volcanos 🌋.
The state of Minnesota and particularly Minneapolis is known for being very bike-friendly with lots of trails.
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!
Wow thank's for sharing such a personal story! Did you cheer him on throughout his racing career and have you ever visited any of his new cafe's? ☕
@@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!
He has a very much Gord Downey from the Hip kind of vibe going or is that just me.
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 👉 ua-cam.com/video/XPCjTCd_Exg/v-deo.html
@@gcn I did see that piece, and it was also excellent. I don't know enough about the pro riders' personalities to suggest a follow-on.
Alison Jackson@@gcn
What a super cool guy, amazing lifestyle, and the best environment. No one's life is even close to perfect but that seems as good as one can get.
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
I’d watch Hank on travelling excursions. What a great presenter, funny, laid back and asks good questions!
The adventures of Hank... now that sounds like a fun show! 🙌 Where should we send him next? Did you catch his adventures in states? 👉 ua-cam.com/video/dgGMjad19DU/v-deo.html
☕️The timeliness of this video is awesome. I spent last week in Girona, and the cycling + coffee seen is so incredible. Thanks for amazing video, GCN!
Hahaha that's amazing timing! It's such a cool spot right! Did you have any memorable rides? 👀
Having a cup of coffee while watching this great video... nice! ☕
It never gets old what you guys come up with! Brilliant, loved it!
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.
was in girona a few weeks ago (and even saw hank but he was on the phone so didn't say hi) but can confirm how great girona and la fabrica are
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!
Hank has really came into his own over the past year, quite proud of you ole Jimbo.
Hank nails these vids. They are a real good watch. 🥰👍
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? 👀
Really enjoying this series, great to see what pros do next
Perhaps we could do a whole series on what the pros do post peloton! 🙌
@@gcn 100% would watch
Spectacular coffee and the best oatmeal I've ever had. Really started my days in Girona off perfectly.
Seems like a really cool guy! Very fun video to watch!
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
Great coffee shop, visited there a few years back. Glad to see they are doing well! Great vid
Love these kind of stories. More please
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? 👉ua-cam.com/video/XPCjTCd_Exg/v-deo.html
All these videos of Girona…you got me to make it a bucket list place! Thanks for this!
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
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. ❤
Discovered La Fabrica & Espresso Mafia way back in 2016. Was blown away with their food and especially their coffee. ❤️
Once you go you won't be able to get the place out of your head 😋
nice to show there is live after pro tour adventure ....
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!
The best cycling destination. Girona - one love!
Fantastic they have created an empire through Coffee i love it thank you both .
Would you take the trip to Girona for coffee? 👀
Amazing video GCN !!
As a cicler n coffee lover I really enjoy this one! Tks hank!
Awesome. I'd seen the Overland shop but never made the connection. Beautiful city Girona.
Great video. Thanks
Chris is living my dream life. God keeps on blessing him 🙏.
Great film really enjoyed this!! Such an interesting guy!!
Great video. Thank you.
Great video, more like this 👏 👍
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
Yes, and you can thank the San Francisco Bay Area for that -- first, Italian coffee culture in North Beach, then Peet's in Berkeley in the 1960s.
Sounds dreamy! Don't give Hank any more idea 😂 He's meant to do our tough video!
@@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.
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.
Awesome what a place great insight. 👍
Great fun - and supernice interview. Well done!
Glad you enjoyed it! Who should we Interview next? 👀
Lovely cafe, fantastic coffee!
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.
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
Terrible?
Get to enjoy several places here in Tucson, Arizona. It's great to have choices after a 100km ride!
Ha! I used to drive that kid to rides back in his home town of Sussex, NB. Always a good kid, glad to hear he's made a good go of it after his career.
Hahaha wow! What was christian like as a kid? 👀
@@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.
Kudos to both Hank and Christian for a brilliant insight into life both with and after the bike.
Great to hear that you enjoyed it! Are you a coffee lover like Christian? Super cool to see his career blossom post cycling! 🙌
@@gcn I do like my coffee but my skills (both coffee and bike) are a couple of millennia behind Christians!
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. 😅
Making people hungry for a riding is what we love to do 🙌 Where will you be heading? Have you got a coffee stop in mind? ☕
@@gcn In Bavaria (Southern Germany), specialty coffee is only available in bigger cities or near lakes. The latter option is the way to go. 🙂
Love this!! Drinking coffee on the trainer as we speak…lol
Trailrunning, coffee, gravel. Awesome job.
He's killing 🙌 It's all the product of some very had work 💪
Shout out to my hometown - Portland represent!
The guys at Eat Sleep Cycle deserve a feature here! :)
Makes me want to go to Girona. ❤
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 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!
Christian is such a great, un assuming & down to earth human being!!! What he has done in GI is to be respected/admired!
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.
It's great to see him thriving 🙌 Should we talk to more ex pros about their post cycling lives? 👀
@@gcn Svein Tuft: the most interesting man in the world.
or Will and Shoshauna Routley who now brew Kombucha.
GCN tries to kill Hank (Episode 14) .... by sending him to review coffee shops in Girona.
My thoughts exactly!
Two minutes in to the film and he looks like a man that’s not slept for 100 years 😂
Hahahah what a way to go! Death by caffeine ☠ We almost got him in this video ! 👉ua-cam.com/video/4StcKDohjLE/v-deo.html
They have a huge life insurance policy on him
Great Place!
Saw Hank at the rugby today. Will we see it here soon?
Why does Hank look so cold? Really good
This makes me want to drink one more cup, but I remember what happened to James when he'd had one (far) too many and I stay put. 🙂
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! 👉 ua-cam.com/video/4StcKDohjLE/v-deo.html
Great video and great place (visited last year) but why not interview Amber with all of the credit and accolades noted?
15:40 hank, did you spice up those coffee beans?
Christian is my spirit animal.
Racing in PDX?! Did he race the Twilight Crit? Dang it's been a while since we had that series.
What is the peak with the amazing views?
Hank is a very likable guy.
My wife has been to La Fabrica and TEM. I hope to go soon! Any idea what top tube bag Christian used in the video? Thank you.
good to see our canuck boy CM doing so well in G town
" full throttle eh" there is the Canadian in him :)
And if you need something sweet 'Rocambolesc' gelateria is nearby .
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!
My dream life …❤
Would love to go and try some of Christians coffees 😋😋
If it was Amber’s baby, where was Amber?
Camera-shy, maybe?
cycling related❤🫰
Lotta beans
I’m from Portland, Oregon, I would love to know what coffee shop his love affair started in.
👍👍👍👍🇦🇹✌️
Am I the only one who doesn't get what the fuss is about re coffee?
Yep
I can’t live without it ….literally
No, I also don't get it. Vile drink. And coffee zombies are the worst. The look on their faces when they stand in front of a closed coffee shop.
@@tupolev141 move to rural Utah. That's the only place your people are welcome😂
It's the pronunciado of the simplest structure "la" which makes me feel embarrassed. "Le“. Thank God he's not uncovering Spanish either.
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…
Kudos. Get some Kenyan coffee.
Big Maggie's
Went here. Best cakes I’ve had.
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..) ?
h=bsaa
Ok ma il caffè con la Moka è meglio 🍝🇮🇹
Gold Powder ???? What a nonsense !
Not watching toplofty Hank anymore
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).
You’re the exception not the rule
Lol what do you drink then!?
Not really sure this warrants getting quite so triggered about!
Do you drink Tango;)
it's more ubiquitous than saying 'we need to find a bakery'.
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
Great to hear that you made the tip to Girona! Did you notice La Fabrica? Worth another trip back! ✈️
@@gcn I didn't unfortunately, but I'll definitely go back and check it out someday. And bring a bike this time!
Great video about what past pro’s do post racing. Let’s see more post cycling career careers.