The Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona Bike Show is, above all, a festival that brings together cycling’s many different sides in one place.
In terms of the number of participants in its trials and the number of bicycles available, MTB is the discipline with the greatest presence at the fair and in events; however, all disciplines are represented in their different fields. Thanks to both the sports events and related exhibitors, the cycling festival is a meeting point for all types of users.
Girona has made a name for itself as an international cycling destination in recent years. One of the advantages of the city and its surroundings is that it offers a perfect playing field for many disciplines. Professional road cyclists were the first to popularise the region as a prime location for their sport. Its picturesque, quiet roads with incredible scenery have captivated both professionals and amateurs alike. The Ciclobrava, the cycling tour of Sea Otter Europe, gives visitors the chance to experience the same sensations as professionals in their training sessions and to ride on the same roads on which the stars of major world events train.
In recent years, MTB has followed its lead. The impressive network of mountain trails that surround the city of Girona and the whole province have become the latest gem to be discovered by national and international riders, so much so that Girona has become known as a singletrack paradise. The Scott Marathon Cup, which takes place at Sea Otter Europe, will traverse this endless labyrinth of singletracks, which delight all kinds of riders whatever their level, as well as persuading professional cyclists to take up residence in the area.
However, the last great boom that the Girona cycling scene has experienced is gravel. Once again, having a network of tracks that are perfectly-suited to the discipline and exceptional scenery have been key to the city’s new-found status as one of the world’s gravel meccas. So much so that several international presentations for new gravel bikes have taken place as part of Sea Otter Europe itself in recent editions, in addition to having two gravel events on the competition calendar – the key ingredients for discovering this rising discipline.
Girona also sets an example in terms of cycling and urban mobility thanks to a network of bicycle lanes on main roads, proving how bicycles can help transform and humanise urban environments. The Sea Otter Europe fair plays host to countless brands related to such an important theme as sustainable mobility – a vital issue in the fight against climate change and for improving quality of life in urban areas.
Naturally, the world of electric bicycles is one of the pillars of Sea Otter Europe as well as the modern-day cycling industry itself. Which is why it is one of the main attractions of the Demobike test programme, in which brands put forward hundreds of models, giving visitors the opportunity to test out and compare the best e-bikes on the market.
If we add in the powerful presence of exhibitors from the world of travel, tourism, new technologies applied to cycling, accessories and nutrition, we have all the ingredients that make Sea Otter Europe a must for anyone linked to the world of cycling, whatever your version of it may be.
The Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona Bike Show will take place on 29, 30 and 31 May, 2020.