La Vuelta Returns To Denia For Stage 8 In September

STAGE eight of the La Vuelta de Espana cycling race will start in Denia.

The president of Alicante provincial council, Toni Pérez, together with the director of Unipublic (the organisers) Javier Guillén, presented the details on Thursday, August 3, of the popular event that will take place on Saturday, September 2, between Denia and Xorret de Cati. It will combine two of the main tourist attractions of the Costa Blanca, the sea and the mountains.

“La Vuelta has a very significant link with the province and with Alicante provincial council”, said Toni Pérez.

“We love this sport and we are aware of the importance of this event as a means of promoting our land, as it allows us to bring our tourist attractions closer to millions of people around the world”, stated Pérez.

The Esplanade de Cervantes in Denia, the commercial and hotel backbone of the city, and located on the seafront, will be the starting point of this 165-kilometre stage that will culminate in one of the most emblematic enclaves of the province, the Xorret de Cati, in Castalla.

The Xorret is a demanding mountain pass that has become a classic of the Spanish race.

This is due to the beauty of its surroundings and the hardness of its ascent, which in parts exceed 20 per cent.

Javier Guillén explained that “in this edition, which we have called ‘The one of the colossi’ because Andorra, the Tourmalet or the Angliru will be there, it was mandatory to include the province of Alicante because it is one of the most mountainous in Spain, but also for being one of the destinations where most cycling is practiced”.

In addition, the director of Unipublic indicated that this will be the “first great mountain stage of the route, an extraordinarily round day and so relevant that it should be held on a weekend, because if something arouses this land, it is public and what we want is to be close to them.”

Els Poblets, Pego, Tollos, Fageca, Quatretondeta, Gorga, Benilloba, Benifallim, La Torre de les Maçanes, Ibi and Onil are other municipalities in Alicante through which this event will take place, which also includes three second category climbs, the Vall d’Ebo, Benifallim and La Carrasqueta and one of the third catagory, Tollos.