Costa Blanca South

More than 300 people join Bicycle Day fun

By Euro Weekly News Media • Published: 10 Jun 2011 • 10:46

TORREVIEJA’S traditional Bicycle Day attracted more than 300 participants for the non-competitive ride around the northern area of the city. The event was ‘started’ by Torrevieja’s Councillor for Sport, Dani Plaza with the participants following the police outriders in a semi-disciplined file.

This year ‘s ride was relatively incident free and all the riders made it back to base in one piece where every participant then switched their focus and waited around to hear if they would be lucky enough to win one of the 50-sports prizes on offer.

The bike ride took the participants, along with their police escort, along the traditional route from the Old Man of the Sea Monument, along the coast to Playa Los Locos and back via Avda de la Habaneras and back to the Mediterranean.

However, impatient drivers had to be held back by ambulance crews, during the segment up Habaneras Avenue, as drivers tried to overtake the riders and others cutting them off at right angles trying to cross traffic.

For the first time in many years, the front group was completely separated from the smaller and younger riders at the year, due to these impatient drivers.

After the race, 50-numbers are drawn out of the bag and the prizes awarded.

With Tourism being seen as a major area of economic growth and development for the city, it was pointed out that there is nothing to promote cycling tourism along the seafront, unlike cities such as Benidorm, Amsterdam or in California or Florida, where cyclists, Segways, roller skaters and pedestrians all can enjoy their ‘paseo’ along their city’s coastlines, which is presently not possible in Torrevieja.

Riding on the pavement in Torrevieja is forbidden, forcing bikes to dice with cars, vans, motorbikes, trucks and buses on their route along the coast.

There are thousands of residents and visitors who would take to the streets on their bikes, helping to alleviate parking problems in the city and leading to a healthier lifestyle and as one of the main objectives of the Day of the Bike is to promote the joy of cycling, the future is bright for safer riding around the city of Torrevieja.