The Service Course, a once-prominent cycling hub in Girona, Spain, founded by former professional cyclist Christian Meier and his wife Amber, will close its doors by the end of the month, marking the end of an era for the brand that helped put the Catalan town on the map as a premier cycling destination. The news was confirmed in an Instagram post, marking the end of the flagship location that started it all.
Speaking to Escape Collective, Richard Cunningham, the former CFO of The Service Course, said that the closure was largely a financial decision, citing broader struggles in the cycling retail market.
“The cycling retail market has been pretty tough over the last year or two,” he said. “We took on a new premises in the anticipation of growth that hasn’t materialised. Staffing has also been a challenge. Staff tend to be quite young and transient, coming to Girona for a few years before moving on. It’s hard to maintain continuity.”
The Service Course Mexico – which is a different company owned by a different group of shareholders and operates as TSC under a license – will continue operations. But the global brand that the Meiers started and which saw both rapid growth and decline, will be history when the Girona shop closes on 31 March 2025.
The clash of courses
When opened in the small Spanish city of Girona in 2016, the Service Course (TSC) pioneered quite a unique concept in the cycling industry, driven by the passion of Christian Meier. It promised a pro-level cycling experience to customers, offering custom bikes, guided rides, and boutique retail that became the “TSC” brand.
As the business became popular and more widely known, it attracted high-profile investors, including current and former pro cyclists Simon Gerrans, Kasia Niewiadoma, Michael Woods, and Romain Bardet, as well as F1 driver Valtteri Bottas.
Over time, it expanded to locations beyond Girona to Nice, France; Wilmslow, UK; and Oslo, Norway. However, the rapid expansion at a challenging time proved difficult to sustain, and the UK and Oslo locations closed quietly soon after opening.
“The timing of expansion was unfortunate,” Cunningham told Escape. “Oslo opened in late 2019, and Wilmslow opened in early 2020, just before the COVID-19 lockdowns. The UK shop, in particular, never had a chance to recover.” The Nice location will also cease operations and is already listed as closed on Google.
While the investors provided financial stability, the expansion also marked a shift in leadership style that diverged from the founders’ original hands-on approach. Speaking to Escape, Amber Meier, the company's co-founder, was outspoken about its direction after investors became involved, and said the business was poorly managed over the last few years.
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