Tomorrow sees the return of Girona ‘Sea Otter Europe’, part of the UCI Gravel World Series. It is the final event before the fourth UCI Gravel World Championships which will be held in the Zuid-Limburg region of the Netherlands on October 11th & 12th.

Last year’s winner -Team Bahrain Victorious’ Matevž Govekar – returns to defend his title, and will ride alongside the 2023 Gravel World Champion, Matej Mohorič.

Govekar is looking forward to racing again on an unfamiliar surface:

“It’s nice to finish the year with some gravel racing; I enjoy doing something a bit different at the end of what has been a tough season.  Last year I won, and we come back with that same goal. Unlike 12 months ago, we made it through the recon unscathed! [Mohoric crashed on last year’s recon and was unable to start the race], so we will both start tomorrow”.

As always, the 107km route will be demanding, dangerous, and dynamic, featuring 

1828 m of elevation gain, taking place in the ‘Les Gavarres’ massif. The course starts in Juià with a long initial climb, then transitions to wide, flat tracks through rural areas. The race features a major climb to Puig d’Arques at the halfway point, followed by a technical descent and a mix of rolling hills and fast, flat sections. The final phase runs along the Ter River before finishing at the Girona-Fontajau Municipal Pavilion.

Mohoric, (MIlano-Sanremo and triple Tour de France stage winner), knows that it will be a day’s racing quite unlike what they are used to:

“We will go out and have fun, and try not to crash. It is very technical, and it is so dry this year the course will be very dusty. It will be imporant to be in the front especially in those technical sections. For us, that is a challenge, because we don’t race gravel much so we don’t have the experience, but we will give our all and the aim is clear: we want to win again”

Sports Director in his home region of Catalonia, is Xavi Florencio, who gives more detail about the parcours itself:

“10 km from the start is a very important point because the day starts with a tough climb, followed by a fast downhill. We hope that come the last 20k, there will be a small group with both our riders, and in the last 10 km we need good tactics for the finale.

“Matevż won last year and Matej is in good shape after the Canadian races. So we will see how they get over the first climb, and Matevż can be a great help at the end if needed. There will be other World Tour pros on the startline, and it’s an important race because the World Championships follow soon, but our ambition is clear: we will fight to win the race again!”

With the reigning champion, and the former World Champion both representing Bahrain Victorious tomorrow, the big question is, “which of our Slovenian stars will be the designated leader?” Mohoric is circumspect about this dilemma:

“There will be no leader, but we will help each other depending on the race situation. I’m the better climber, but he is faster”

Answering the same question, Govekar jokes:

“I will let Matej attack with others, then I will work with the bunch to bring me back, and beat him in the sprint!”

Both will be riding the brand new Merida gravel bike, which will be launched to the public in the coming week. The new bike is called the ‘Mission’, and for Bahrain Victorious, there is one single ‘mission’ tomorrow: to win again. And with the quality of the pair we have brought to Girona, it is definitely not, ‘Mission Impossible!’