The world’s best gravel riders will compete in the cycling festival. The race is part of the UCI Gravel World Series and will be the last qualifying race before the Gravel World Championships.

Gravel riding that has undergone incredible growth in recent years, leading to a surge in sales of gravel bikes and lots of new amateur riders taking up this sport. This phenomenon has been noticeable at Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental in recent editions, with more and more brands offering gravel models, with an increasing number of test bikes on offer at the Demobike, not to mention the new units and models to try out.

At the same time, renowned stars from other disciplines are getting involved in gravel riding to keep their sporting careers going or as a complement to their usual discipline, from mountain biking and road racing alike. Examples such as “Purito” Rodríguez, Alejandro Valverde, Iván García Cortina, Felipe Orts, Ismael Esteban, Sergio Mantecón, Luis Maté, Alberto Losada, Angel Edo, Carlos Verona and José Antonio Hermida, to name but a few, are making this discipline even more popular.

All of this has led the UCI to include Gravel as a new type of competition, with two official World Championships having already been held.

Girona, a gravel paradise

Gravel riding is all the rage throughout the Girona area. Its environment, trails and landscapes are ideal for this emerging type of cycling, letting riders ride on both asphalted roads and dirt tracks so they can get to know Girona’s most exceptional landscapes much better. It is no coincidence that the UCI has finally decided that one of the Gravel World Series venues will be in Girona, specifically at the Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental, the biggest international cycling festival in southern Europe with more than 65,000 visitors and more than 400 brands present.  A luxury that no gravel fan will want to miss out on. Registration will open on February 6.

Let’s not forget that the Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental sports programme includes more than a dozen cycling events of almost all types, including road, marathon, cross country, urban, trial, ebike, etc., in addition to gravel. All the options are there, for all tastes and levels.

Extensive UCI Gravel World Series calendar with a large international presence

From the beginning of April in Austria to the end of October in Australia, at 21 venues spread over almost every continent, including Australia, South Africa, Canada, the United States, Kenya, Andorra, with several races in Europe, including Girona, as part of the always-extensive Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental programme.

The Gravel World Championship is scheduled for 5 and 6 October 2024 in Belgium, just after the Girona event. Further information:  www.gironagravelworldseries.com / www.ucigravelworldseries.com