Everything began in the 60´s when the Italian espresso manufacturer Fabbrica Apparecchiature Elettromeccaniche e Affini (or FAEMA), sponsored the Faema cycling team. At that time Eddy Merckx, known as the greatest cyclist of all time, was in the team and the brand exposition was very successful. After this fact, many other coffee-related companies and even producer countries continued to sponsor athletes and teams of riders. But it was always limited to that, coffee brands sponsoring athletes and teams of cycling.
What started to happen later on was what is called the coffee ride: that for a professional has a similar meaning as a recovering ride. But the joy of that was that for non-professionals and for those who cycle for a hobby, the coffee ride started to gain importance as a ride among friends going from coffee shop to coffee shop.
The fact that cycling is very performance and quality-driven has made both words even more tied, once a perfect performance of the specialty coffee bean, the perfect quality of the shot is very similar to the performance cycling equipment should have. Also, one of the most obvious reasons is the caffeine intake that can boost up the performance of a rider, even at amateur levels.
Social media has also been an important part of this approach: cycling is very social, you hardly see someone riding alone and the coffee shop is the perfect spot to share that moment through Facebook or Instagram for example. Photographers also play a nice role in capturing the most beautiful moments. I could not forget to mention THOMAS LEDESMA, one of the greatest photographers for this kind of shooting in town.
POST COVID BYCICLE TREND
As in the middle of the pandemic, many indoor places were forced to close their doors. All over the world, the demand for bicycles soared, because it meant an alternative for wellness and health in the open air. Moreover, the danger seen in public transportation caused migration in commuting habits, with the bicycle earning some points in this battle. Good for the environment, good for individuals’ health, and indirectly good for specialty coffee, which in a way has seen this new audience more probable to stop by a nice and cool specialty coffee shop with a focus on cycling.
Also, themes such as global warming, sustainability, and others – have pushed consumers into more curiosity about what they are eating, drinking, and buying. Cycling culture has always been connected with nature, and the search for more significance in gastronomy and coffee is expected: what are the levels of traceability of the coffee I am drinking? What are the sensorial notes of this coffee? How much caffeine intake does this cup of coffee suppose?
COFFEE ROASTERS WITH CYCLING AND HIGH YIELD SPORTS AS PART OF THEIR BRANDING
Catalunya also has some specialty coffee roasters that put a lot of focus on high yield sports and the bicycle is part of it as well. We could talk about Wattios Coffee, Café de Finca, On y Va, Espresso Mafia, and Familia Osorio supplies to many coffee shops in the mountain region of Catalunya.
WHERE TO FIND THIS CYCLING AND SPECIALTY COFFEE SPOTS
Coming back to our reality in Barcelona and Catalunya, the place of many cycling athletes and champions, the natural landscape is in our favor. Many cycling routes exist here, and along with those ways, we can find so many great spots to stop by and have a great shot of coffee, before or after that bike ride (in competitions, that coffee shot usually is taken right before the ride begins – about 30 minutes before). Mariano Marí, champion of Bike Enduro, specialty coffee lover and BALEARIC AEROPRESS 2021 CHAMPION, tells us about his relationship with specialty coffee: “I started taking coffee to benefit from its performance booster before my training, not because I enjoyed taking coffee (because regular coffee is not tasty really). But I didn’t settle on that. I stopped adding sugar, started making Mokas at home, grinding fresh coffee, and entered the vicious path. Then I discovered many places, looking for the best coffee in Barcelona. Thankfully the specialty coffee in BCN is very well known and I learned a lot talking to every barista and coffee passion. Now, I make my own specialty coffee at home on a daily basis”
Finally, below you can find a list of great spots that have the bicycle and cycling culture running through their coffee veins:
Eroica Caffè Barcelona – C. del Consell de Cent, 350, 08009 Barcelona
Bicioci Café – Carrer de Venus, 1, 08012 Barcelona
On y Va Coffee Shop – Carrer de la Ciutat de Balaguer, 45, 08022 Barcelona
On y Va Roaster – Carrer de Cornet i Mas, 9, 08017 Barcelona
Espresso Mafia – Carrer de la Cort Reial, 5, 17004 Girona
La Fabrica – Carrer de la Llebre, 3, 17004 Girona
Hors Categorie – Carrer del Perill, 3, 17001 Girona
La Comuna – Carrer del Bellaire, 7, 17004 Girona
Velo Café – Carrer de Joaquim Viola Lafuerza, 29, 25700 La Seu d’Urgell, Lleida
Nordest Café – Plaça dels Herois, 8, 17520 Puigcerdà, Girona
Manresana 1930 – Carrer del Doctor Zamenhof, 2, 4, 08243 Manresa
Café de Finca Extreme – Carrer de Zamora, 96, 08018 Barcelona
Café de Finca – Passatge Mercè Rodoreda, 2, 08860 Castelldefels
Cycling Planet – Av. Constitució, 26, 07340 Alaró, Illes Balears
Eat Sleep Cycle Café – Carrer de l’Albereda, 15, 17004 Girona
La Maglia Café – Carrer Juli Garreta, 10, 17250 Platja d’Aro, Girona
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