Four races took place this weekend with all the necessary health and safety measures in place, allowing a sector that has been heavily affected by the pandemic to get its smile back
Girona and the Costa Brava breathed some new life into cycling, reviving the love of this sport after a sudden halt in cycling races and competitions for several months. Thanks to the support of the local authorities (Girona Provincial Council, Costa Brava-Girona Tourism Board, Girona City Council and the Catalan Tourism Agency of the Catalan Government), trust from participants and the efforts of the organisers, the main sporting events of the Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava-Girona Bike Show were able to go ahead. This year the festival was without the large commercial and expo zone, the recreational areas and the exhibition spaces that had been set up in previous editions. Races were able to take place due to their outdoor nature, running at 30% capacity and according to strict health and safety measures. These circumstances have clearly marked the fourth edition of the festival, in which priority was given to distancing between groups of cyclists and compliance with all the measures required by health regulations. So that the sports programme could go ahead, participation was reduced by 30% (a total of just over 1,000 sportsmen and women took part), the different start and finish areas were spread out to avoid crowding, all participants had their temperature checked, and the use of face masks was made compulsory at all times, except throughout the course of the races.
Saturday saw the MTB Scott Marathon, in its different categories, and on Sunday it was the turn of the cycle tour, which went from Girona to the Costa Brava (Continental CicloBrava), the gravel race (Ettix Girona Gravel Ride) and the Super Cup Massi, which brought together some of the best riders on the international scene, who had not competed against one other for months due to the pandemic.
The organisers wish to emphasise the great effort and determination that has gone into this reduced version of the cycling festival, highlighting the importance of a sport with a great number of fans and revitalising a sector that has suffered greatly from the economic effects of the pandemic.
Together with the local authorities backing the festival, we are already working on organising the fifth edition of Sea Otter Europe, which we hope can be held in 2021 under much more positive health circumstances and be enjoyed in its usual format.