The second day of Sea Otter Europe was a resounding success with thousands of visitors filling the festival’s different spaces dedicated to brands, activities, exhibitions and sporting events, although without large crowds. The exhibiting companies, who were eagerly awaiting the first large event in which they could meet customers in the wake of the pandemic, were satisfied with the high number of visitors and the amount of activity generated throughout the day, confirming that Girona offers a great business opportunity and the chance to promote their brands.
There was also a large turnout at the Demobike event, with 20 of the best brands from the cycling world providing bikes for guided tours of the programme’s different circuits, allowing visitors to try out whatever models they were most interested in.
In the sporting section, the highlight was the significant presence of the best cyclists in the world in various specialties. The Scott Marathon by Continental was one of the most anticipated races of Sea Otter Europe: a spectacular race with two route options for bikers of all levels, from world stars of the discipline to beginners. The extraordinary surroundings of Girona and its many trails were the ideal setting for nearly 1,000 participants to enjoy a thrilling course offering the most authentic MTB. On a competitive level, in the men’s category it was a very tight race. As the kilometres went by, a large group gradually began to form and the final victory was decided by a sprint between Belgium’s Wout Alleman, Estonia’s Peter Prus and Spain’s Francesc Guerra, with the Belgian champion Alleman coming out on top. In the women’s race, Arantxa Salvadó dominated the race, going out on her own from the halfway point of the race.
In the afternoon, the Continental Super Cup Massi returned to give the women’s categories all the prominence they deserve with a day set aside exclusively for them, and riders responded with full starting grids and the kind of calibre seen in the World Cup. The route along the banks of the river Ter provided for tight and exciting races. Spectators were able to witness the duel between the Australian rider Bec McConnell and Spain’s Rocío del Alba García, both having arrived straight from the United States where they clinched a spot in the top 10 of the XCO World Cup. In the final few metres, Rocío del Alba García imposed her speed to win the international UCI race. Behind them, Danish rider Malene Degn completed the podium after coming off the fastest in another tight sprint.
Today was also the turn of the second round of the WES UCI World e-Bike Series. In the men’s race the French world champion Jerome Gilloux was victorious, after having secured second place yesterday. And in the women’s category, Sandra Santanyes of the Catalan Cycling Team came out on top once again, and this time with more ease and authority with a gap of more than four minutes ahead of the second-placed rider.
Hours earlier at 6 a.m. the first cyclists of the day began the tough 340-km Canyon Pirinexus Challenge and by mid-morning the mountain bike area was filled with young athletes and their
families, ready to dispute the Kids’ Copa Catalunya, featuring riders aged between five and 14 years old.
This great day of cycling was topped off with the nostalgic MTB Classic race, in which bikers decked out in classic clothing rode bikes dating back from over 25 years ago. A veritable museum in motion that is fast becoming a leading European event among fans of classic cycling.
One last day featuring the Ciclobrava and the best male riders of the moment
Tomorrow will be the third and final day of Sea Otter Europe, with events as outstanding as the star road cycling tour, the Continental Ciclobrava, which, with three distances, is the largest event of Sea Otter Europe. Also tomorrow, on the MTB circuit of the festival, the best international cyclists of the moment will come together competing in the Super Cup Massi, where athletes such as David Valero, the recent bronze medallist at the Tokyo Olympics, will square up against fellow Olympian Jofre Cullell, New Zealand’s Sam Gaze, France’s Thomas Griot and Titouan Carod, and the Dutch rider Milan Vader.