The Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava-Girona by Continental is finalising the details to welcome over 65,000 people to the festival on 20th, 21st and 22nd September. The big cycling event has become a must-attend event for industry professionals and pedal enthusiasts alike. The general programme includes a long list of activities, combined with a wide range of sports events and more than a dozen conferences.
Now, the organisation has unveiled the most important announcements and launches that will take place during Sea Otter Europe. Many of the exhibiting brands, aware of the great showcase that the festival represents, will take advantage of the occasion to present new products and carry out different activities.
The new Canyon Aeroad will be one of the most eagerly awaited presentations. The German brand will officially unveil the brand new Aeroad. This is the fourth generation of one of Canyon’s flagships, with technology and design designed to meet the demands of Mathieu Van der Poel’s rainbow jersey. Furthermore, visitors will be able to try out this model at the Demobike.
The spotlight will also be on Brompton, as the well-known manufacturer of urban folding bikes plans to announce the biggest design change in the last 50 years. Shimano has also announced that it will hold a private presentation.
Sea Otter Europe aims to surpass the standard it has set in previous editions and raise the bar even higher. It will attract 3,000 professionals from the sector and will feature 42,000 square metres of exhibition space and 80,000 square metres of festival space. The trade fair will have around 500 exhibiting brands and the organisers highlight the increased presence of American firms.
There will also be a strong French presence, with French exhibitors and riders accounting for 20% of the total.
The sports programme has attracted 6,000 riders, who will take part in the 13 events included in the line-up. For the first time, one of these will be a Social Ride exclusively for women, organised jointly by the festival and the textile brand Jelenew.
Another highlight is the great line-up of riders coming to Girona during the festival. In particular, the Trek UCI Gravel World Series has attracted the biggest names in the sport, including World Gravel Champion Matej Mohoric. It is one of the qualifying rounds for the World Championships and one of the last before the World Championship in October.
The Slovenia-born champion is one of the favourites, although he will have to battle with riders such as Alejandro Valverde, Javier Romo, Iván García Cortina, Tiago Ferreira, Carlos Verona, Jack Haig, Matevz Goveka and Samuel Sánchez, among others.
In addition, one of cycling’s biggest legends, Miguel Induráin, will be in attendance, as well as another hero of the sport’s history, Alain Prost.
Following the great success of the first edition, this year’s Sea Otter Connect will feature two days of conferences. The event will be thematic, with Friday focusing on the challenges facing the industry and Saturday’s presentations putting tourism at the centre of the debate.
On the other hand, there are two initiatives that have been very well received: on the one hand, the mechanics course, which sold out in just one hour; and, on the other hand, the classic Demobike, which continues to generate great enthusiasm among the public and this year the organisers will offer a specific one for motorbikes.
The third edition of the Euro Mobility Festival aims to further strengthen its position as the reference in sustainable urban mobility with a brand-new collaboration with the manufacturer Tesla, which will participate for the first time in Sea Otter Europe as the official car of the EMF.
Sea Otter Europe will also launch a new area to host presentations of touristic destinations and mobility talks. The festival will take place at the Costa Brava Pirineu Auditorium in Girona, in the open air and open to all festival-goers. Sea Otter Europe will also see the launch of a socio-economic cluster to promote health through cycling.
