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The presence of female cyclists in Girona is increasing

Girona“It’s a shame that this nonsense caught me fifteen years late, because I could have shared a great hobby.” Born in Riudarenes (Selva), Anna Gibert Sau explains with resignation how, at the age of 23, she always went out alone on her bicycle to pedal and had to look for routes on the other side of the State, such as the Camí de Sant Jaume, to feel accompanied. Two decades later, and already established in Girona, she experiences the cycling fever in the city as a liberation. A new youth in which, finally, he has been able to share his passion with many women.

Specialized shops and festivals note the increase in the weight of women who are professional cyclists or who live this sport as a great hobby. Only at Sea Otter Europe, one of the reference festivals in the sector that takes place from September 23 to 25 in Girona, has seen a 36% increase in the participation of registered women compared to last year.

Escape from the danger of the road

One of the modalities that is gaining momentum is the gravel: that is, the practice of cycling with bikes like road bikes, but with a wider tire that allows you to ride on unpaved tracks like those on the Greenways. These old railway routes alone offer 160 km of cycling in the Girona regions, and up to 353 km if you follow the cross-border Pirinexus route, which passes through Northern Catalonia.

The gravel above all it provides security. Many women did not take up the road bike for fear of accidents and saw that mountain bikes, MTBs, required too much technique. This is explained by Jordi Cantal, organizer of the Canyon Pirinexus Challenge – do the Pirinexus route in less than 18 hours – and the Orbea Gravel Ride Girona, 70 km through Les Gavarres. It is in this last race that they have noticed a greater upswing in the participation of women, with almost one in five registrations despite having increased by 50% the number of places compared to last year.

Gibert will be in the race accompanied by many other cyclists with whom they have formed a leisure team: the Gravel Girls Girona. Almost a year and a half ago, with two other cyclist friends, Ester Barris and Helena Santacreu, they decided to start a free group to pedal folded. The goal is to go out at most with just girls and make community. In a short time there are already 80 women aged 25 to 64. “It is a very enriching space. There are also foreign women settled in Girona. Some say it’s hard to make friends here, but you can have a great social life by cycling!” he says.

A first level team

He also admits that it is an expensive hobby initially: a second-hand bike from gravel worth at least 1,000 euros. A new one goes for a minimum of 1,500 euros, explains Xavier Matas, Biciescapa Girona sales representative, who has noticed an increase in sales for women: “The cycling world has always been dominated by men, but every time there are more women”. Cycling schools have proliferated in recent years. In Girona there are more than ten and two have women’s sections. Many of its athletes look towards Massi-Tactic, the only Catalan team in the cycling elite. Created in 2019, it is closing a fourth season full of successes.

A new European festival of urban mobility

For years, Girona has become the epicenter of road cycling, mountain biking and increasingly the gravel. But the use of the bicycle as a means of urban transport has not yet taken off despite the increase in kilometers of cycle paths. With the aim of putting the focus on this type of transport, Sea Otter Europe includes a space to promote new forms of urban mobility, especially the electric bicycle. The Urban Mobility Festival will welcome companies, manufacturers and designers, in addition to an exhibition area for urban bicycles, and two routes will be offered through the center of Girona – Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. – where you can try them out bikes Sea Otter Europe expects to welcome up to 55,000 visitors.

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