grand tour catalunya gravel
The Catalan Tourism Board approached us with an ambitious project: design a gravel route connecting specific points of interest across the territory, and launch it to the European market. This would be the adaptation of the Grand Tour of Catalonia — a road trip around Catalonia designed for motorized vehicles, a route to discover, feel and enjoy Catalonia.
We didn't just trace parallel dirt roads on a map. We reverse-engineered the entire concept, converting a car-centric journey into a safe and enjoyable 2,500 km and 42-stage cyclotourism product. We divided this massive project into three strategic phases.
phase 1: route engineering & field scouting
Our goal was to create an uninterrupted route that prioritized the scenery, the gravel and quiet roads, and rider safety. After analyzing existing local infrastructures and greenways with the local administrations, we deployed to the field for rigorous scouting. The result is a 2,500 km track split into 42 stages averaging 60 km per stage. The route goes through all the touristic brands of Catalonia: Barcelona, Costa de Barcelona, Paisatges de Barcelona, Costa Daurada, Terres de l'Ebre, Terres de Lleida, Val d'Aran, Pirineus and Costa Brava.
Our strict route design parameters included — Terrain: prioritizing premium gravel tracks; the entire route includes secondary roads, gravel tracks, cycleways, cyclepaths and even some easy singletrack. It's made for everyone; it's not technically difficult. Safety first: when road links were unavoidable, we specifically routed through roundabouts instead of intersections, and prioritized downhill road sections to minimize exposure and risk for cyclists. Logistical viability: every single stage starts and finishes in a town guaranteed to have at least three accommodation options.
phase 2: strategic content creation & talent coordination
To maximize ROI, we merged content production with the promotional launch. Instead of hiring traditional models, we activated a curated pool of specialized cycling influencers. As we shot the high-quality photography and video assets, the talent was simultaneously documenting and broadcasting the experience to their respective audiences.
This phase required the execution of an extremely complex production matrix. Our mandate required pairing one male and one female cyclist for each of the 5 sections, but the true challenge was aligning this talent selection with the commercial interests of multiple regional tourism boards. Each territorial brand was able to strategically select which specific international market they wanted to target, forcing us to synchronize niche talent profiles with highly specific shooting zones.
On top of this architecture, we had to layer seasonal landscape optimization. To guarantee the maximum visual impact of the final product, we dictated the shooting schedule based strictly on optimal terrain conditions. For example, we locked down the month of August exclusively to shoot in the high mountains of the Pyrenees, ensuring the best climatic and visual conditions, and reserved the inland sections for September, thereby capturing the rich chromatic palette of the vineyards during the peak harvest season.
In total, we orchestrated 5 different shooting blocks across 21 days between July and October. The result was penetration into 6 key international markets — Germany, Netherlands, France, UK, Spain, and Italy — fulfilling the institutional objectives of every region without ever compromising the aesthetic excellence of the campaign.
phase 3: international launch campaign
With the assets captured and the adaptation finalized, we executed a highly targeted PR and media campaign to position the Grand Tour Catalunya Gravel in Europe. We designed a multichannel strategy focused on seven key markets — Spain, France, Italy, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. This distribution combined the reach of the specialized press with the credibility and prescribing power of content creators.
The combined effort across all channels generated a massive total impact of 2.6 million global impressions.
talent activation and organic reach
The influencers experienced the Grand Tour Catalunya Gravel firsthand, immersing themselves in the culture, the gastronomy, and the exceptional landscapes of the territory. This authentic connection caused the creators to far exceed their initially agreed-upon publications, achieving a massive 269% compliance rate over the contract. We achieved 1,143,739 total impressions and 33,814 interactions. The action generated 366 social media posts — including 282 Instagram Stories, 20 Instagram posts, 39 on Strava, 8 on TikTok, 9 on Facebook, 4 on Komoot, and 1 on YouTube — with an impressive global engagement rate of 2.96%.
specialized print media and authority
To build long-term prestige and permanent authority for the route, we targeted the most exclusive printed cycling publications in the world. This specialized print push captured 586,618 impressions across 11 total publications, securing an incredible 60 pages of physical paper features. Because these premium magazines circulate through cycling cafes, workshops, and boutique stores for months, this investment guarantees a compounding impact over time. Our custom features and deep-dive double-page spreads ran in elite print media including Rouleur, Volata, Alvento, Cyclist UK, Le Cycle, Raw Cycling Mag, Mundo Gravel, and Bike and Travel.