La Vuelta arrived in Gijon once again!

“La Vuelta Ciclista a España” is a professional cycling competition taking place every year in Spain and sometimes neighboring countries. It started in Madrid in 1935 with 50 participants. Their equipment included heavy iron bikes. Furthermore, they carried their tools for repairs. It includes nowadays participants from all over the world. While the route changes every year, the format always covers 21-day stages over 23 days with two rest days. The finishing line is in the Spanish capital, Madrid.

Gijon hosted the finish line for the 19th stage for the 24th time. Last time was back in 2003. This segment started in Caso by the Redes Natural Park and ended in Gijon after 149.7 kilometers. The organizers and local authorities took special care to make sure the event could run smoothly and safely, and the finish line was set up at Ave. Rufo Garcia Rendules by the seaside.

National and international significant sponsors well support La Vuelta. We also had the chance to see many customized vehicles and even some top-of-the-range luxury cars.

It was amazing to observe how many people are attracted by this international sports event, and the legions of press professionals following the cyclists around the country to provide global news coverage. There are 22 teams for the 2017 edition from 16 different countries worldwide: Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Colombia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, and the United States.

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Last La Vuelta for Alberto Contador

We have seen many of the favorites like the local professional cyclist Ivan Garcia Cortina with team Bahrain-Merida. It also created great expectation Alberto Contador with team Trek-Segafredo as he will be retiring this coming Sunday. Gracias Alberto!

The winner for this 19th stage with the 2017 “Vuelta Ciclista a España” is the Belgian national Thomas De Gendt with team Lotto-Soudal. We are looking forward to watching the last two stages for this year’s edition with the super finale in Madrid. Congratulations to the winner and all the participants for making of this such an exciting sports event!