Posedla at Joy-infused GiRodeo 22 by the Service Course
The Service Course is the place where the wildest ideas and desires of any cycling-obsessed individual come into reality. At the end of October 2022, we had the opportunity to participate in TSC’s first GiRodeo cycling event, which took place around their Catalan base in Girona. It was a great weekend during which we put the Joyseat saddles (and ourselves) to the test on a variety of gravel terrains around Girona.
Anyone who knows a thing or two about custom bikes knows TSC for their skill of bringing together a prominent selection of the finest cycling brands from all around the world. With its 3 current operations in cycling heartlands of Europe, TSC has won a global reputation. That is why we were really looking forward to the event – but the reality exceeded our expectations. Riding with pros, savoring tapas, meeting new friends and introducing our Joyseat custom saddles during an action-packed weekend. What is not to like?
Warm welcome
We shared a 16-hour long journey from Prague with our friends at Repete Cycles and were finally rewarded by a special meet and greet event in the green outskirts of Girona. There in the lofty garden at Mirador de Can Pi – a restaurant in an old Catalan house – we admired a selection of custom builds from big brands like Enve (the title sponsor of the event), Argonaut, Mosaic Bikes, Open Cycle and others. Among them a special edition of Repete Verne, the outcome of a collaboration with painter David Krňanský and the Breadfit store - with Joyseat of course on top.
3 days of gravel shredding
We were up for a treat! The rest of the program promised 3 days of what Girona has to offer for exploring on two (gravel) wheels. On Friday, we rode to the coastline accompanied by a few pros who made Girona their home. It was a well-paced social ride finishing off at a craft brewery with a live recording of the Social Distance podcast hosted by George Bennett and Sam Bewley. Among their guests: Simon Gerrans (CEO at TSC), Esteban Chaves (EF Education-Easypost), Daryl Impey (Israel-Premier Tech), Alice (Canyon/SRAM) and Hannah Barnes (Uno-X) and Alexey Vermeulen (Jukebox Cycling).
Saturday was supposed to be the big day. How big is a big day? 130 km on mixed terrains with 2,500 m elevation gain made it an epic day in the saddle! Two mountain passes and a feed station by an old stone temple featuring specialty coffee from Oniria Cafe were the highlights of the day. Plus the pizza party that followed back in TSC Girona.
Sunday Salida recovery ride convinced us that it does not matter which way you decide to ride out from Girona. They are all great! We set out in a big group through the countryside, south of the city, and tried to enjoy every moment because we knew this fantastic cycling celebration was coming to an end. One thing is certain, next time we have to stay longer!
Custom bikes with custom saddles
When you create something so personal as a custom bicycle, why would you not go custom all the way? We started Posedla as a direct-to-consumer brand but thanks to an increasing interest from bike fitters, bike builders and custom bike retailers, we are building a B2B program to satisfy the demand. It may as well happen there will be more Joyseats and a pile of Smiling Butt Kits during GiRodeo 23. We can not wait for what the future brings us!
Photographs: The Service Course & Filip Ludvík