Sports and outdoor activities - The Rough Guide to Barcelona - page 354

BASKETBALL
Second only to football in popularity in Catalunya, basketball has been played in Barcelona
sincethe1920s.GamesareusuallyplayedSeptembertoJuneatweekends,withmostinterest
in the city's two main teams. Club Joventut de Badalona , founded in 1930, were European
champions in 1994, while FC Barcelona , founded 1926, finished runners-up five times be-
fore finally becoming European champions in 2003, a title they regained in 2010. It's easiest
to go and watch FC Barcelona, as Badalona is out in the sticks. The team plays at the Palau
Blaugrana, adjacent to the Camp Nou.
Tickets Tickets to games are fairly inexpensive (€9-72, depending on the seat and game),
and you can either buy tickets online ( fcbarcelona.com ) or go to the stadium (the day be-
fore the game) - see “Football” for main stadium contact details.
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CYCLING
Cycling is being heavily promoted by the city authorities as a means of transport. There's a
successful bike-sharing scheme (known as Bicing) while around 180km of cycle paths tra-
verse the city, with plans to double the network in the future. Not all locals have embraced
thebike,andsomecyclepathsarestillignoredbycarsorarecloggedwithpedestrians,indig-
nantly reluctant to give way to two-wheelers. But, on the whole, cycling around Barcelona is
not the completely hairy experience it was. The nicest place to get off the road is the Parc
del Collserola , where there are bike trails for varying abilities through the woods and hills.
Montjuïc is another popular place for mountain-biking - there's a weekend rental outfit up
behind the castle. Bikes are allowed on the metro, on FGC trains and on the Montjuïc and
Vallvidrera funiculars.
Bike tours The best way to see the city by bike - certainly as a first-time visitor - is to take
a bike tour ; bikes and equipment will be provided.
Bike rental You can rent a bike from one of the outlets listed in “City tours” .
Maps You might want to pick up the map detailing current cycle paths. It's available from
the tourist office, or on the city council's website bcn.cat/bicicleta .
Races and festivals The city hosts a variety of annual cycling events, including the main
regional race, the Volta a Catalunya ( voltacatalunya.cat ) every March. June/July sees the
Ajuntament'sannualFestadelaBici(BicycleFiesta),whileSeptemberisanotherbigmonth,
with races during the Mercè festival and a day during the city's “Mobility Week” dedicated
to cycling.