The tenth edition of the festival, from September 18 to 20, will bring together World Cups, major cyclosportive events, popular races, and competitions for young people, ensuring every cyclist finds their challenge.
The Shimano Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava-Girona by Garmin is not just the largest international bicycle fair with over 500 exhibiting brands. For three days, from September 18 to 20, Girona will also become one of the world’s great cycling stages thanks to a sports program that will bring together some of the most prestigious competitions on the international calendar, along with events open to any enthusiast, families, and young cyclists.
Coinciding with its tenth edition, the festival presents a unique sports offering, bringing together professional riders, amateur athletes, and people who simply want to enjoy cycling and the region, all in one weekend. From World Cups to cyclosportive events, including MTB, road, gravel, trial, and children’s downhill races, the Shimano Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava-Girona by Garmin offers an experience adapted to all levels and disciplines.
The Major International Cycling Events
Competition lovers will find some of the most important events on the international calendar in Girona.
Among them, the 226ERS UCI Gravel World Series stands out as one of the festival’s main attractions and a qualifying event for the UCI Gravel World Championship. The competition will debut a new, faster, and more fluid course, starting from Càrniques Juià and finishing at the Sea Otter Europe exhibition grounds. The top 25% in each category will directly qualify for the World Championship, while the public will be able to follow the race live for the first time, both from the festival itself and via streaming. Several prominent riders have already confirmed their participation, such as Daan Grosemans and Chris Harper, in an event that in previous editions has featured names like Romain Bardet, Alison Jackson, Samuel Sánchez, Nicole Frain, Iván García Cortina, Matevz Govekar, and Miguel Indurain.
Participation is open to both riders with a UCI license and participants who purchase a day license during registration, with a €6 supplement, offering a unique way to share the stage with the world’s best specialists.
Another major event will be the HERO UCI Cross-country Marathon World Cup, which will once again bring together the world’s top specialists in the discipline for the final race of the season. Spain’s David Valero is the provisional leader and could be crowned overall champion, while in the women’s category, Anna Weinbeer is already the mathematical winner. The course, a successor to the legendary La Tramun, will start from Les Planes d’Hostoles and finish at the Sea Otter Europe venue after a technical, demanding route full of trails.
The weekend will also host the Shimano Super Cup Massi, one of the most prestigious Olympic Cross Country (XCO) competitions on the international scene and a UCI C2 event that awards points for the world ranking. In addition to bringing together some of the best specialists in the discipline, it will be the final race of the season and will decide the overall winners.
The Spanish XCE Championship, the most important national Cross Country Eliminator event, which will crown the new Spanish champions, will also play a prominent role. It will share the stage with the Continental Series XCE and the XCC Continental Series, making Girona one of the major meeting points for the most explosive MTB disciplines.
Experiences for Any Enthusiast to Live Sea Otter Europe on a Bike
The Shimano Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava-Girona by Garmin is also committed to allowing any cyclist to be part of the festival, regardless of their level.
The Ciclobrava by Lapierre will once again be the festival’s main cyclosportive event and one of the most popular. With three routes adapted to different levels, it will connect Girona with the Costa Brava in an experience designed to enjoy road cycling, the landscapes, and the great atmosphere, away from competitive pressure. In addition, all participants will receive the official event jersey, and registrations maintain a reduced price until August 17. To participate, it is only necessary to have a UCI or FCC homologated license, or to purchase the day license provided by the organization for €10, which includes medical coverage during the event. This edition will also feature the participation of a dozen ONCE tandems.
For gravel lovers who prefer to prioritize the experience over the stopwatch, the festival will once again organize the Continental Gravel Ride Tour, a non-competitive ride that will cover some of the most emblematic trails and landscapes around Girona. This proposal is designed to discover the region by cycling in a group, sharing experiences, and enjoying the unique atmosphere of the festival, with the official jersey included. The event also requires a federative license or a €5 supplement for participation insurance, making it one of the most accessible options for getting started in gravel.
MTB enthusiasts will also find multiple options adapted to their level. The SCOTT Marathon MTB will offer two different distances so that both experienced and amateur riders can tackle the big end-of-season challenge. In addition, each modality will have PRO and OPEN categories, allowing participants to choose between competing or simply enjoying the route. Participation is open to both cyclists with a UCI license and those who purchase a day license during registration, with a €5 supplement.
Those who wish to experience the same circuit as the Marathon World Cup riders can register outside the World Cup, both in the PRO category (competitive modality) and in OPEN (non-competitive modality). Both options will share the La Tramun course with the World Cup and will have a lower registration fee.
Alongside these, La Tramun Corta will retain all the essence of the original route in a physically more accessible version, ideal for discovering one of the most emblematic MTB routes. In these three cases, participants can compete with a UCI license or purchase a day license during registration, with a €6 supplement.
To facilitate participant logistics, both the HERO UCI Cross-country Marathon World Cup and the Open World Cup and La Tramun Curta will have a shuttle bus service between the Sea Otter Europe venue and Les Planes d’Hostoles, the starting point of the races.
Investing in the Future of Cycling
The promotion of grassroots cycling will continue to be one of the festival’s main focuses.
The Shimano Super Cup Youth will allow boys and girls to compete on a world-class stage thanks to a format adapted to each category and age. The event seeks to foster sports values and offer young people the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of their role models, sharing space with some of the best riders in the world.
The sports program will be completed with the Copa Girona Trial, the Mini DH, aimed at the youngest participants, and the unique MTB Classic, a free and non-competitive gathering reserved for mountain bikes manufactured before 1996, which will revive the most authentic spirit of early MTB in a festive atmosphere full of nostalgia.
For three days, the Shimano Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava-Girona by Garmin will transform Girona into the international capital of cycling, demonstrating that there is an event for everyone: from those who aspire to compete with the world’s best to those who simply want to discover new landscapes, share kilometers with friends, or get started in this sport at one of Europe’s most important cycling festivals.
Registration for the different events can be done here.
