Sea Otter Europe presents its sporting programme, with 15 races in a festival that is back to its very best after the pandemic
70% of the festival’s commercial space has already been sold.
The sporting programme for the Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava-Girona Bike Show 2021, which will take place in Girona from 24 to 26 September, was presented today at the Hotel Carlemany in Girona
The sporting programme for the Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava-Girona Bike Show 2021, which will take place in Girona from 24 to 26 September, was presented today at the Hotel Carlemany in Girona. This is the fifth edition of the international festival, which, thanks to a wide range of races, will bring together everyone from top-level cyclists from all over the world to amateur and young riders. This year’s programme is particularly eagerly awaited, as last year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival could not be held in its usual format and only four races took place with very limited capacity.
Both the city of Girona and the Costa Brava region are confident that Sea Otter Europe will be a success, at a time when bookings and interest in cycling in this magnificent area are picking up again.
Information on the 15 races in all disciplines, which will take place over the weekend, were announced at the presentation, with some 4,000 cyclists expected to take part. The figure is down by 30%, allowing for the implementation of very strict health and safety measures across the whole Sea Otter Europe site.
As for the different events that make up the sports programme, these are the ones to look out for:
The World Cup for e-bikes, the World E-Bike Series
One of the main new features is the arrival in Girona of the World E-Bike Series, the electric MTB World Cup organised by the UCI (Union Cyclist Internationale). The international circuit began in 2019 in Monaco and this year will consist of six races, one of which will be held in Girona as part of Sea Otter Europe, featuring elimination rounds and the most hotly-contested races.
Continental Super Cup Massi
The prestigious high-level Olympic Cross Country (XCO) circuit is made up of four races in different categories. The Girona event will be C1 category and will see the best riders in the world compete in the surroundings of Fontajau pavilion in the highest UCI-point-scoring event in southern Europe.
The three distances of the Continental CicloBrava
The great cycling tour, the festival’s main event, which is part of the prestigious Gran Fondo World Tour circuit, this year comes with three distances (70 km, 100 km and 140 km) running through Les Gavarres, the Costa Brava, the La Ganga mountain pass and Monells, with the professional cyclist David Millar as the event’s ambassador.
In terms of amateur mountain biking, these are the main attractions of Sea Otter Europe:
Scott Marathon MTB UCI Series by Continental
A race with UCI points up for grabs for professionals as well as boasting open categories with two circuits spanning 67 km and 42 km. The event features incredible routes through the Llémena Valley, fun trails and a route suitable for all mountain biking enthusiasts.
Canyon E-MTB Experience
E-bikes are one of the most popular trends in cycling, which is why Sea Otter Europe presents this race as part of the cycle tour category with a 30-km route.
MTB Classic Sea Otter Europe
One of the most popular events of the festival, this fun, nostalgic race is the perfect opportunity to enjoy a ride with friends over a few kilometres on bikes made prior to the ‘90s.
Another discipline that is gaining more and more fans each year is Gravel, a discipline for which Sea Otter Europe will host two options, allowing riders to enjoy Girona’s magnificent landscape on dirt tracks:
Canyon Pirinexus Challenge
A challenge of the highest order, this 340-km circular route through the Girona region starts at sunrise with riders trying their hardest to complete the route in less than 20 hours.
Girona Gravel Ride
A unique 78-km route through the heart of Les Gavarres, the event follows the course of the river Ter, combining top-quality forest tracks with quiet B-roads.
And for the little ones, Sea Otter Europe has planned a selection of races both for those who want to compete and those for whom cycling is more of a recreational activity:
Enduro MTB La Selva
Making a return to Sea Otter Europe, this event takes place in Riudarenes with spectacular descents on a 30-km circuit that has been carefully designed to surprise participants.
Children’s MTB Open
This Catalan Cup is a unique opportunity for young professionals to enjoy an MTB experience right in the heart of the cycling festival.
Sea Otter Europe’s most explosive exhibitions and races include the Eliminator and the Short Track Sea Otter Europe, featuring frenetic laps of the festival’s gravity circuit, next to Fontajau pavilion.
The success of Demobike
One of the reasons for which Sea Otter Europe is the leading cycling festival in southern Europe is Demobike, thanks to which the best brands in the world can meet potential customers and let them try out the bikes of their choosing. Sea Otter Europe hosts what is most likely the Demobike programme with the largest selection of bikes in the world, and this year is no different with over 500 to choose from. Visitors will be able to try them out on specially-designed test tracks close to the festival site.
The presentation of the sports programme was attended by representatives from Girona Provincial Council and the Costa Brava Girona Tourist Board, Girona City Council, the Catalan Government and the Catalan Cycling Federation, as well as sponsors, cycling clubs, shops and cycling-related establishments.
More information at www.seaottereurope.com.
Register for races at www.ticketoci.net