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Cycling
Cycling is being heavily promoted by the city authorities as a means of
transport. There’s a successful bike-sharing scheme (known as Bicing), while
around 160km of cycle paths traverse the city, with plans to double the network
in the future. All locals have yet to embrace the bike, and some cycle paths are
still ignored by cars or are clogged with pedestrians, indignantly reluctant to
give way to two-wheelers. But, on the whole, cycling around Barcelona is not
the completely hairy experience it was just a few years ago.
The best way to see the city by bike – certainly as a first-time visitor – is to
take a
bike tour
(see Basics, p.29); bikes and equipment will be provided. Or
you can simply
rent a bike
from one of the outlets also listed on p.29, in which
case you might want to pick up the map detailing current
cycle paths
. It’s
available from the tourist office, or on the city council’s website
W
www.bcn
.cat/bicicleta.The nicest place to get off the road is the
Parc de la Collserola
,
where there are bike trails for varying abilities through the woods and hills.
Montjuïc is another popular place for mountain-biking – there’s a weekend
rental outfit up behind the castle. Bikes are allowed on the metro, on FGC
trains, and on the Montjuïc andVallvidrera funiculars.
The city hosts a variety of annual cycling events, including the main regional
race, the
Volta a Catalunya
(
W
www.voltacatalunya.cat) every May. June sees
the Ajuntament’s annual
Festa de la Bici
(Bicycle Fiesta), while September is
another big month, with races during the Mercè festival and a day during the
city’s “MobilityWeek” dedicated to cycling. In October, there’s the
Escalada a
Montjuïc
, an annual international hill-climb race on Montjuïc.
Bye bye bulls
Although bullfights are an integral part of many southern Spanish festivals, there has
never been great interest in Catalunya. It’s tourism on the Costa Brava that continues
to support much of the region’s organized bullfighting, while small-scale bullfights are
still seen as part of some local villages’ annual
festa
. However, a few provincial towns
have already imposed outright bans on the activity, while the city of Barcelona declared
itself an anti-bullfight city in 2004. There’s only one surviving bull ring in Barcelona, the
Plaza de Toros Monumental
, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 749 (
M
Monumental),
and this has been the scene of protests at the start of each bullfight season for some
years now. In fact, campaigners in the city hope to make Barcelona bullfight-free in the
near future, and the city council is now talking openly about the possibility of other uses
for the bull ring, perhaps as a site for the Encants flea market.
Useful contacts
Amics de la Bici
c/Demóstenes 19, Sants
T
933
394 060,
W
www.amicsdelabici.org;
M
Plaça de
Sants.
The “Friends of the Bike” organize a
full range of events and activities, from rides
to bike mechanic courses.
Esport Ciclista Barcelona
W
www.ecbarcelona
.com.
Founded in 1929, the cycle sports
club organizes the Escalada a Montjuïc –
details available on their website.
Football
To be honest, there’s only one sport in Barcelona and that’s football, as played
by local heroes
FC
(Futbol Club)
Barcelona
. The team is worshipped at the
SPORTS AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
|
Cycling • Football