La Xispada 2026: date, route, price, and key details of the event

Plan your race pace

La Xispada has established itself as a different kind of cycling day within the calendar of mountain experiences in Catalonia: less conventional race and more GPS-guided exploration, with Hotel Mas de la Sala, in Sallent, as the epicenter and with a format designed to bring together cycling, landscape, and convivencia. The 2026 edition is set for Sunday, October 4, with a start at 09:00, and maintains its identity as an MTB and e-bike proposal in the Montserrat North area.

The event arrives with an approach that breaks away from the classic logic of bib number, stopwatch, and classification. Here, the terrain, navigation, and freedom to choose a route matter. In the information published by the organizers and by specialized calendars, the price starts at 15 euros in the 2026 edition, while the previous edition was in a lower range. The difference is not minor: it reflects an event that is growing in ambition, in services, and in territorial storytelling.

A format that blends adventure, navigation, and social experience

La Xispada does not work like a standard ride. Its proposal is based on a very clear idea: the participant does not follow a continuous tape nor is tied to a single itinerary, but moves with GPS tracks and decides how far they want to go, which route to try, and with what intensity to face the day. That approach gives it the feel of a playground for cyclists, without losing the connection to real mountain biking, the physical kind that demands legs, technique, and attention to the terrain.

The project is presented as a virtual bike park in which the mountain is transformed into a kind of open board. There is no permanent physical signage, and that completely changes the experience: it forces you to read the route, interpret the device, and accept that part of the enjoyment also comes from orienting yourself. For some cyclists, that detail is almost anecdotal; for others, it is the very heart of the event, because it brings back to cycling that component of exploration that often gets diluted in larger events.

There is also a very strong social element. La Xispada relies on meeting points, the so-called Oases, designed to stop, regain strength, and share the atmosphere with other participants. It is not just about pedaling, but about taking a break with food, drink, and local products, a resource that brings the event closer to the culture of the area and gives it a texture more akin to a day-trip escape than to a simple fast-moving sporting activity.

Date, location, and practical details of the 2026 edition

The 2026 edition is scheduled for Sunday, October 4, with a start at 09:00 and the epicenter at the Hotel Mas de la Sala, in Sallent, province of Barcelona. That place is not just a logistical point: it acts as both start and finish, and also organizes the whole experience of the day. The geographical reference matters because it places the event in the heart of a region that has made cycling a path for economic and tourism promotion.

According to the listing published on Runedia, the registration fee starts at 15 euros for 2026. In the 2025 edition, different press reports placed the fee at 25 euros and included a multipurpose bag, refreshment points with local products, and access to the routes and Oasis points. That evolution suggests an event that increasingly relies on the complete experience and not just on access to a route. The added value is not in a closed finish line, but in the package of services that accompanies the day.

The 2025 edition was also held in a format that was already pointing toward this logic of freedom and navigation. The description spoke of more than 10 available routes, with tracks for different levels and with both smooth and more technical sections. The 2026 edition maintains that same conceptual line, reinforced by the idea of time autonomy and by the promise of a route system that allows you to choose the level of challenge with plenty of room.

Routes, levels, and terrain: what defines the experience on the bike

One of the most striking features of La Xispada is that it is not limited to a single distance. The reference information mentions routes of 10, 15, 30, 40, 60, and up to 100 kilometers in the initial proposal released by Montserrat North Face, a figure that makes the range of possibilities very clear. Not everyone arrives with the same physical condition or the same relationship with the mountains, and the event seems to be built precisely on that diversity.

The terrain combines tracks, trails, and technical sections, with a distribution that varies by edition, but always points to a mix of navigation and enjoyment of the landscape. In the 2026 listing, the route percentages clearly outline the nature of the course: a predominance of trail, the presence of track or dirt road, and a smaller portion of asphalt. That balance usually appeals to those looking for a varied day rather than a succession of predictable straight lines.

In practice, this turns the day into a kind of mosaic. There are sections where the body feels free and the bike rolls naturally; others where the trail forces you to look at the ground, judge the turn, and let the mountain set the pace. And that is precisely where part of the appeal lies: it is not an event for going full speed all the time, but for alternating effort, reading the terrain, and enjoying the surroundings without the pressure of a ranking.

Montserrat North and the role of the territory

La Xispada cannot be fully understood without Montserrat North, the project that aims to turn the set of regions of Bages, Berguedà, Solsonès, Moianès, Lluçanès, and part of Osona into a reference cycling tourism destination. The event works as a showcase and as a territorial activation tool. It not only attracts cyclists, but also shows a way of traveling by bike that connects landscape, gastronomy, and accommodation.

That approach explains the presence of partner hotels, adapted accommodations, and complementary services for those who want to turn the day into a complete getaway. Hotel Món Sant Benet and Hotel Mas de la Sala appear in the initiative’s narrative as pieces of a network that seeks to provide continuity to visitors. The idea is not to arrive, pedal, and leave; the goal is to experience the territory at a different pace, with time to stop and look.

There is also a concept that sums up the strategy quite well: Ciclabel, a quality label based on safety, sustainability, and rideability. Beyond the name, the message is clear. Cycling is sold not only as sport, but as a way to organize a destination. And in an area with a strong landscape and cultural identity, that makes obvious sense: each route becomes a way of telling the story of the territory.

Services included and atmosphere at the Oasis points

The Oasis points are one of the event’s most recognizable elements. They function as intermediate stations where participants can stop, hydrate, eat something, and head back out with renewed energy. In 2025 they were described as spaces with food, drinks, surprises, and a good atmosphere, and in practice that helps make the day feel more like a gathering than a simple pass through a circuit.

That pause component is very important in a mountain event or experience, because it breaks the linearity of the effort. A cyclist does not just move forward; they also recover, chat, compare sensations, and decide whether to lengthen or shorten the route. La Xispada takes advantage of that logic and turns it into a virtue. The result is a less rigid experience and one that feels closer to a long outing among enthusiasts who share a passion and a territory.

In addition, the organizers have included services such as cloakroom, showers, and food at the finish in different editions, details that increase comfort without turning the event into something artificial. They are concrete details, the kind you notice at the end of the day. Arriving, changing, eating, and leaving without the feeling that everything was improvised makes the difference between a pleasant event and a well-executed day.

Why the proposal fits the rise of cycling tourism

La Xispada fits squarely into a broader trend: cycling tourism understood as a destination experience. A route is no longer enough; the user looks for context. They want to know whether they can sleep nearby, whether there will be quality food, whether the area is worth a weekend escape, and whether the format allows the day to be adapted to their level. In that sense, the event responds quite precisely to current demand.

The boost in cycling tourism in Spain has grown alongside projects that blend sport and territory, and Montserrat North has managed to position itself on that map with a very recognizable identity. La Xispada does not compete only with other MTB events; it actually competes with the idea of an anonymous outing. And there it gains ground because it offers storytelling, services, and an emotional map that gives meaning to the ride.

There is also a clear economic reading. The commitment to local products, accommodation, and collaboration with nearby businesses turns each registration into a small piece of activity for the territory. That approach does not solve a region’s challenges on its own, but it does outline a model in which sport acts as a soft motor, manageable in scale, with a visible effect on local commerce and hospitality.

What changes between editions and how it has taken shape

The evolution between 2025 and 2026 offers clues about the event’s growth. In 2025, registrations were announced, a fee of 25 euros was mentioned, and the idea began to consolidate. In 2026, the event already appears with a more defined structure, a specific date, start time, a price starting at 15 euros, and a more ambitious presentation, almost as if the format had found its own language.

There is also a leap in the narrative. The 2026 edition emphasizes the concept of free GPS navigation and the presence of more than 10 exclusive routes. That formula, in an environment where more predictable rides abound, gives it personality. It does not aim to be just another race, but an experience that the participant interprets and builds in real time, like someone opening a map and deciding which path they feel like taking that day.

The visual identity and the event’s story also help. Under the Montserrat North umbrella, La Xispada presents itself as a gateway to the mountains, to gastronomy, and to a less competitive and more sensory way of cycling. That combination, when well developed, has a lot of strength because it appeals both to those seeking a challenge and to those seeking atmosphere and discovery.

An event that speaks more about the territory than about the finish line

La Xispada is, at heart, a statement of intent. It champions a way of riding that is measured not only in kilometers or elevation gain, but in the quality of the experience and the relationship with the place. Sallent, Bages, and the whole Montserrat North area are not just scenery, but an essential part of the story of the day.

That is why the event has found resonance among specialized media and local projects that see cycling as a tool for promotion. The event does not need to sell pure adrenaline or promise impossible feats. Its strength lies elsewhere: in the mix of routes, in the freedom of choice, in the shared atmosphere, and in the feeling that the bicycle can be a common language for reading a territory.

With that formula, Sallent’s cycling day moves between sport and getaway. Neither one nor the other entirely. And precisely for that reason it feels so recognizable: because it leaves room to pedal, stop, look, eat, and head out again. In times of haste, that balance has a value that is felt from the start and remembered long after the helmet comes off.

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