“That any amateur can feel professional for a day.” It is a simple idea in its creation, but complex in its execution. A phrase that led, 10 years ago, to the creation of an event that is now a cycling brand recognized throughout the country: Mussara.
It was born as a cycling event and has become, a decade later, an entire family of events. At the origin of that first march was Mauro Llorens, director of Mussara, then, and director of events at RPM Sports, the organizing company of Mussara, now.
“In 2014 there were already marches, but they were few and very focused on the clubs,” he explains. “We felt that not everything surrounding the event itself was worked on. So we decided to create an event that would maintain that passion for cycling, but that would also focus on services and with a more careful image.”
In this way, an avant-garde test began in its proposal, but with that idea that is still maintained, that of ‘Professionally amateurs’: “As amateurs, it never gave us the level to run the Tour de France. We wanted people who came to our tests to feel what it was like to be on a stage of a World Tour race. Feel professional for a day.”
The first edition of the ride, in the middle of Baix Camp, already marked differences with the rest: a fair the day before the event, presence of brands linked to professional cycling and, of course, the unmistakable jersey of the event, mandatory to participate. “For us it was a way of saying that this was not a race, here everyone does not come with the colors of their club. This is a march and we are all the same team,” Llorens emphasizes.
Since then, Mussara has grown, both in its participation and in the number of tests. Now, instead of one, there are four events.
Mussara Donostia – San Sebastián “is the most classic event.” “Every fan has to go filming in the Basque Country at least once. It is the birthplace of the bicycle in Spain. Our march combines hardness, beauty, short and demanding climbs, sometimes adverse weather, but accompanied by the warmth of the fan.”
It is succeeded in the calendar by Mussara Salou, the “flagship” of the brand, which this year moves from Reus to Salou. “After 10 wonderful years in Reus we needed a change. The fan asks different things of us. Salou is a town that is committed to cycle tourism and that also has added tourist value for the cycle tourist’s companions: for its hotels, its coast and the number of activities in the area.
In a completely different register, “appealing to the competitive gene” emerges Mussara 24H, pure ultra-endurance, held on the historic Montmeló circuit and offering something “completely different”. “It is competition, earpieces, strategy, rollers and a coexistence in the pits like we have never seen before. Participants eat, sleep and sprint together.”
And finally, Mussara Girona All-Road, which completely changes the pace: “Here the stopwatch is of absolutely no use. There are many gravel distances in a unique environment. The refreshment stations are far from the competition and there is a constant festive atmosphere. We want there to be nothing more than bicycles, music, parties, food and enjoying the group.”
Ten years later, what remains of Mussara’s initial idea? Llorens is clear: “The spirit. It is something that we will never lose because it comes from something very simple: the people behind the Mussara are cycling lovers. “No one works at Mussara who doesn’t love the bicycle.”
Precisely reinforcing this commitment to cycling lovers and Mussara followers, the brand has launched the Club this year. A space full of advantages, offers and unique experiences in any of the four tests. “Our community has made us who we are and we must have recognition with them.”
And what does the future hold for the Mussara brand? “Specifically, to grow little by little in key cities and cycling environments. We want people to not have to travel many kilometers to enjoy a Mussara. But the future is impossible to predict,” adds Llorens.