My name is Daylin Membreño, I am a 26-year-old Nicaraguan girl, accountant, cycling guide and gravel cycling lover.

The reason why I came to Girona was because of the unfortunate and sad socio-political crisis that my country Nicaragua began to experience on April 18th, 2018. Nicaragua has a long history of political corruption as do many other countries today, where rights and freedoms are not respected, that as human beings we each deserve. I came to Spain with my mother and my partner, with the aim of helping to improve the quality of life of my family.
The truth is , that I never imagined that I would find myself surrounded by this unique and beautiful cycling community, the incredible cycling paradise, the warm affection of the city, among many other things that make Girona unique and special. What was a very bad bad situation for me transformed into a good one, with a new and healthy lifestyle, a love for cycling that began almost 3 years ago, of which I feel very fortunate for the incredible bonds of friendship that it has allowed me to create. As my partner says,¨we turned lemons into lemonade”. Thank God for allowing me to enjoy good health and to be able to practice this wonderful sport called Cycling.

“Cycling for me is a sense of freedom, a source of joy, and a form of meditation where I have found refuge in my moments of emotional weakness.”

Cycling for me is a sense of freedom, a source of joy and a form of meditation where I have found refuge in my moments of emotional weakness. It is also a great source of strength and inspiration in my life. I have to be honest and say that It is an addiction that I am not willing to give up, because it gives me the ability to face situations with the best attitude I could ever imagine.

It was a great group of cyclists that came together for the ride and quickly made me feel at home. As is so often the case here in Girona , we found ourselves on beautiful, quiet roads. The views in the light of the Golden Hour were amazing. The colours, route and the camaraderie was a good combination that I imagine will surely shine through in the photos from that day.

I’m Aleix Ferrer, born and raised in Girona.

I was always a runner and competed for many years, but after an injury I had to stop completely, and I thought sport was over for me. So cycling gave me a second chance to experience all the emotions I felt running and I thought I would never feel again. Thanks to cycling I discovered new places, new people and things about myself. I do cycling guiding for The Service Course and I am running my own sport nutrition company Fuel+ alongside my studies.

I feel so grateful to live in a place like Girona, and I am happy to see how my hometown is evolving. I really love being part of projects like this one, where you meet people that have a passion for cycling and what they do.

After a coffee in Girona, we left for an afternoon ride on the backroads of Canet d’Adri to chase the sun. We were lucky to see one of the best sunsets I’ve seen in a while. It’s really nice for me to see people who aren’t from here enjoying this place where I grew up and that gives me a lot of satisfaction.

“So cycling gave me a second chance to experience all the emotions I felt running and I thought I would never feel again.”