The Salinas de Torrevieja, on the Costa Blanca, will welcome the start of the 74th edition of La Vuelta. Eduardo Dolón, vice-president of the province of Alicante, and Juanjo Castelló, sports deputy, made the announcement on Friday in presence of Francisco De La Torre, mayor of Málaga, and Elias Bendodo, president of the Provincial Deputation of Málaga.
“The province of Alicante is a cycling paradise, commented Javier Guillén, general director of La Vuelta. There is the sea, the mountain, hills and flat, and a perfect weather to ride a bike. It’s not for nothing that many teams chose this area for training camps ahead of the season. In 2019 it will be the sixth time La Vuelta starts from the Costa Blanca, a significative number that shows the province’s abilities to welcome global sports events. The Salinas de Torrevieja are an unprecedented location for La Vuelta and will for sure offer an exceptional setting to bring originality and innovation, the special touch of La Vuelta.”
The province of Alicante already welcomed the first stages of La Vuelta in Benidorm (1964, 1987 and 2011), Calpe (1973) and Dehesa de Campoamor (1977). It will be a first for the Salinas de Torrevieja, a unique enclave with salt lagoons famous for their pink-hued waters. Three stages will be held on the Costa Blanca, highlighting the inlands as well the seaside.
“La Vuelta is not only about promoting sports, it also means an extraordinary event and a unique platform to display our most spectacular sites to the whole world, Eduardo Dolón said. We want to make the most of one of the most powerful tools that exists when it comes to tourism promotion. In addition of being an unprecedented start, it also happens as Costa Blanca recently to its extensive tourism offer a guided visit to this exceptional enclave and the tourism authorities thought it would be a unique opportunity to highlight it on national and global levels. We can anticipate an economic impact around three million euros, taking into consideration all the preliminary events and the three stages.”
“Cycling is a unique opportunity to display our province in large scale, in relation with the values of a sport whose popularity increases every year in the province of Alicante, Juanjo Castelló added. The stages set in our territory will be the most followed.”
The 22 teams participating in La Vuelta 2019 will thus have the opportunity to make the most in competition of grounds they already know from training sessions.
