<DIV><B>Sixteen years after first moving to Catalonia, travel writer, Richard Guise, finally finds time to slow down and explore the back roads by bicycle</B></DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>With more than 250 miles of sparkling Mediterranean shoreline and an interior view dominated by the Pyrenees, it's a spectacular cycling journey from wind-blown headlands to the glitzy coasts, and from bustling Barcelona to remote hillsides where only wild goats grazing and chirruping cicadas disturb the tranquility. Dipping into the unique history of this fiercely independent nation-within-a-nation, the author uncovers many of its cultural peculiarities, such as what to do in a "bugaderia." Chancing upon nudist beaches, ancient Iberian sites, and revolutionary road-sweepers, this slow cyclist revels in authentic Catalonia.</DIV>