Only in Barcelona will you find beautiful Mediterranean beaches and world class entertainment in the same place. This weekend offered just that with the 2009 Red Bull Air Race World Championships. The beaches were packed for miles, full of both children with their heads craned staring up at the wonders of modern technology and adults taking in a relaxing weekend. Barcelona was chosen as the sixth and final city to host these breathtaking races, and both the city and the pilots delivered an unforgettable performance. 

In what promised to be an exciting final round, with over 1.4 million people in attendance and millions more tuned in to their televisions, Britain’s Paul Bonhomme, the world´s number one ranked pilot squared off against the defending world champion Hannes Arch of Austria. The races came down to the wire with Bonhomme merely needing to place in the top 3 to secure his first ever crown and Arch hoping for a miracle to retain his title. You could feel the collective gasps of the crowd as the pilots navigated tight turns and flawlessly executed acrobatic maneuvers over the ocean. 1 minute and 22 seconds later the beach exploded into raucous applause as Bonhomme secured a time that would give him a top 3 finish and his first Red Bull Air Race Championship.

As the summer season slowly winds down, make sure to check out our great deals and hurry on to Barcelona!

Barcelona hosted the Tour de France 2009 last weekend for the first time in 44 years. The riders battled the rain during a rare couple of stormy days for Barcelona and the slick roads caused several accidents in the city. However, Norwegian sprinter, Thor Hushovd, triumphed through the conditions and brought his team, Cervelo, their first stage Tour win, as the passage through Barcelona concluded Stage 6 of the 2009 tour.

After leaving the city, the riders biked into the Pyrenees in a difficult 224km stage whose end only marked a third of the entire 21 stage race. Barcelona residents and visitors were able to view the riders at two times during the race last week. On Thursday July 9, they arrived in the early afternoon through Montjuich and left from around the Plaza Espanyol the next morning heading towards Andorra.

The Tour de France is an annual bike race that attracts the top biciclists from around the world. It has been going on since 1903 and has since been considered one of the greatest sporting speculations in the world. The tour route varies from year to year, but always ends in Paris. This year Barcelona was lucky enough to experience the sporting tradition.

For coverage and photos  of the Tour de France 2009 in Barcelona click here and also check out Barcelona accommodations that were right near the action this July.