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Is this the world's best bike shop?

The Service Course is tasteful and looks upmarket - but caters for all cyclists - Brodie Vissers
The Service Course is tasteful and looks upmarket - but caters for all cyclists - Brodie Vissers

Girona is the centre of Europe’s cycling world, and in the newly-opened Service Course it has a boutique-flavoured two-wheeled hub for the city’s residents and visitors to cherish

The proudly Catalan city of Girona has long been the hub of the cycling world – hundreds of professional racers have resided within the ancient walls of the medieval old town, and many hundreds more still do. The appeal is instant and obvious; situated at the foot of the Pyrenees, local training routes offer everything a pro rider needs to prepare for gruelling races such as the Tour de France.

The Service Course bike shop Girona - Credit: Brodie Vissers
There's a range of top-end road bikes to hire Credit: Brodie Vissers

The climate is perfect, the city is picture-postcard beautiful, and living at close quarters with team-mates and fellow competitors has created a cycling community like no other.

Surprisingly, however, there are very few bike shops. The Service Course, which opened at the tail end of 2016, has leapt into that gap in the market to provide a pro-level service to everyone on two wheels, from Grand Tour racers to elderly locals on shopping bikes.

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What immediately strikes the visitor to the shop, which fills a space on the quiet Carrer Nord once occupied by Girona’s oldest barber shop, is that this is something very special; an elegantly designed and curated destination for two-wheeled enthusiasts.

A fountain supplies water for drinks bottles, trailing plants cascade down the wall; wooden boards from Barcelona’s Olympic velodrome are embedded into the concrete floor, framed race memorabilia adorns the painted grey brick confines. It’s a masterclass in industrial design, and in how to create a boutique experience. It’s a world apart from the surly service and greasy hands of some traditional British bike shops.

Retired Canadian pro cyclist Christian Meier co-owns The Service Course with his wife Amber. He explains, “The intent was to be less of a bike shop in the traditional sense. We encourage people to touch – you can try our wheels before you buy them, for example. If you’re going to shell out 3000 euros, you should be able to see if you like them first.

The Service Course bike shop Girona - Credit: Brodie Vissers
The service area is light years ahead of many grubby bike shops Credit: Brodie Vissers

“In a world of online shopping and instant gratification, we want to bring back the romance of building a bike from scratch, creating an emotional connection.”

What further sets The Service Course apart, besides its specially selected brands such as fellow ex-pro (and Girona resident) David Millar’s clothing line Chpt.///, and high-end carbon components from American brand Enve, is that it truly is more than just a shop.

Christian adds, “We have top-of-the-line Fara rental bikes, and offer massage, guided rides, airport transfers, showers…” The shop’s showers are modelled on those found in the famed Roubaix velodrome, a private massage room is set up for sports therapy treatments, and the rear of the space – once the living quarters of the family which owned the barber shop – houses a workshop, garage and bike washing station. Midday Catalonian sun breaks through a skylight, bathing racks of carbon race wheels in an otherworldly glow.

In pro cycling parlance, the team’s ‘service course’ is its logistics and equipment nerve-centre. Girona’s newest bike shop is more than qualified to carry that name; it’s quite possibly the best bike shop in the world.

Full details at theservicecoursegirona.com

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