The Cofidis Alcázar Theatre in Madrid hosted the official presentation of La Vuelta Junior Cofidis 2017, an initiative that takes part at the same time as La Vuelta where, over 11 stages, around 1650 school students from nine Spanish localities and two French ones (Nîmes and Gruissan) will cover the final kilometres of each stage and have an unforgettable experience, sharing the circuit and the podium with the professional riders participating in La Vuelta.
The Vice-President of the Young Sports Foundation and the General Director of the Higher Sports Council, Jaime González Castaño; the Director of the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT), Gregorio Serrano; the General Director of Cofidis España, Juan Sitges; the President of the Professional Cyclists Association (PCA), José Luis de Santos, and the General Director of La Vuelta, Javier Guillén, have revealed the details of the initiative’s seventh edition that brings together both cycling and educational values, and has featured the participation of over 125,000 school students already in the past six editions.
One of the novelties in this year’s edition is the participation of the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) in La Vuelta Junior Cofidis. Their inclusion seeks to reinforce, promote and improve the road safety education of children in Spanish schools and classrooms. In that sense, the DGT’s Director, Gregorio Serrano, stressed the importance of this project “as a basis to make children aware of the basic road rules and of road safety. This is a solid pillar upon which to lay the foundation of respect for all road users, regardless of their vehicles, with the intention of reducing the number of accidents and casualties on Spanish roads”.
On his part, Jaime González Castaño, Vice-President of the Young Sports Foundation and the General Director of the Higher Sports Council, highlighted the need for initiatives such as this one “that bring together different Spanish entities and institutions in order to improve society through the promotion of healthy habits such as sports, good nutrition and the consolidation of knowledge such as road safety”. Juan Sitges, General Director of Cofidis, reminded those present that the initiative is in it’s seventh edition and stressed its importance, adding that “it is an honour for Cofidis to help improve the society of the future by promoting the values of cycling among children, as well as healthy lifestyle habits and the respect of basic traffic rules. We like to help because, for Cofidis, it is a pleasure to give back, it is an act of responsibility”.
The new edition of La Vuelta Junior Cofidis will commence on the 19th of August in the French city of Nîmes and will continue in France in Gruissan (20th of August) then move on to Tarragona (22nd of August), Sagunto (24th of August), Cuenca (25th of August), Alhama de Murcia (29th of August), Antequera (31st of August), Tomares (1st of September), Logroño (4th of September), Gijón (8th of September), finally ending on the 10th of September in Madrid. The 1650 participating school students, pre-selected in the “Cycling Workshops” held between the months of April and June, will complete the final kilometres of the stages right up until the finish-line, in what will be an unforgettable experience, as they share the circuit and the podium with the professional riders participating in La Vuelta.
Vuelta Junior Campus
This year, the second edition of La Vuelta Junior Campus will take place over four stages, those ending at Alcossebre (23rd of August), Cumbre del Sol (27th of August), Sierra Nevada (3rd of September) and Santo Toribio de Liébana (8th of September). In each one of those stages, 15 young riders in the youth category, from schools located in that particular region, will ride the 20 final kilometres of the stage feeling the support and the encouragement of the public, and inciting camaraderie and teamwork amongst each other. This initiative hopes to open even more doors to the official competition for young fans, among which could be a future professional rider. In this case, it will not be a personal experience, as the values of camaraderie and teamwork will be rewarded.
Promoted by Cofidis España, the Young Sports Foundation, La Vuelta and the Professional Cyclists Association, La Vuelta Junior Cofidis will this year also have the support of the DGT, the Interior Ministry and the Spanish Red Cross, yet again, who will provide medical assistance during the stages.
