The dictionary is one of the projects originally designed to be a part of the vast activity program surrounding the now-cancelled La Vuelta 20 official departure from the Netherlands (Utrecht and the North Brabant region).
La Vuelta, in collaboration with the Netherlands Cervantes Institute and the local La Vuelta Holanda organising committee, present the “Spanish-Dutch Cycling Dictionary”. This tool is designed for fans from both countries, and is intended to ease their first contact with the Spanish language, through a common love of cycling. Featuring illustrations as well as a pleasant and enjoyable presentation, the book offers a simple, practical way for fans and travellers alike to access the Spanish, and Dutch, languages.
The idea behind this “Spanish-Dutch Cycling Dictionary” came about in December 2018, as a result of a press conference held at the Cervantes Institute in Utrecht where Javier Guillén, General Manager of La Vuelta, and Jan van Zanen, the city’s Mayor, announced that La Vuelta 20 would commence in the Netherlands. Utrecht would be the protagonist of the teams presentation, the inaugural time trial and of the second stage finish-line, that would take off from ‘s-Hertogenbosch, capital of the North Brabant Province. The third stage would cross the province, with both the departure and the finish-line located in the city of Breda.
The project, which mobilised three cities and inspired an entire country, has been thwarted by the COVID-19 global health crisis. La Vuelta will not be departing from Holland in 2020, but this Dictionary, a Cervantes Institute idea backed by both La Vuelta and by the local La Vuelta Holanda organising committee, will still be published.
The “Spanish-Dutch Cycling Dictionary”, based on the idea of the Soccer Dictionary co-edited in 2018 by the Cervantes Institute in Shanghai and La Liga, wishes to be a symbol of friendship between Spain and the Netherlands and also a homage to cycling, and to the passion that unites its citizens. This book will be useful to have in hand when Spanish cycling fans visit the Netherlands and when Dutch fans attend La Vuelta editions in Spain and travel throughout our country – or through Latin America – in order to enjoy this sport. It is currently only available digitally and includes a practical glossary, along with illustrations, which make it pleasant and fun.
The General Manager of Unipublic, Javier Guillén, highlighted that this project “falls within the framework of one of La Vuelta’smain missions: to transmit its values all over the world”. “Ours is one of the most cherished Spanish sporting events, with the widest international exposure. We feel that it is our duty to transmit our country’s culture and that of our sport beyond our borders. This cycling dictionary is a magnificent way to do so and we are thankful to the Cervantes Institute for launching this initiative”, he added.
The Cervantes Institute is present in 45 countries on five continents, promoting the teaching and study of the Spanish language, while disseminating Hispanic culture worldwide. Its centre in the Netherlands has turned 25, having been inaugurated shortly after its creation in 1991. “We are thrilled with the work that has been carried out and are very grateful to our Shanghai centre for inspiring the model we have followed. We are happy to have successfully fulfilled this project thanks to the support of La Vuelta and La Vuelta Holanda”, concludes Pilar Tena, Director of the Cervantes Institute in Utrecht.
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