The event, which will take place from 1 to 3 November and will bring together the best cyclo-cross riders on the continent, was presented this afternoon in the Plaza de la Peregrina in Pontevedra, in the presence of authorities and athletes who will participate in the event.
At the presentation ceremony, Rafael Domínguez, vice-president of the Provincial Council of Pontevedra; J. Ramón Lete, general secretary of sport of the Xunta de Galicia; José Luis López Cerrón, president of the RFEC; Carlos Muñiz, president of the FCG; and the closing speech was given by Miguel Anxo Fernández Lores, mayor of Pontevedra, who acted as host. On the technical side, José Alberto del Río, responsible for the event, explained the details of the circuit and the Spanish cyclo-cross champions Felipe Orts, Lucía González and the Galician Lorena Patiño also took the podium. The CRTVG announcer, Terio Carrera, acted as master of ceremonies of an event in which the Ballet de Galicia, directed by Diego Landín, performed.
In their speeches, the authorities highlighted an event that will be held for the first time in our country: it will be the first time that Spain and Galicia can experience a European Cyclo-cross Championships.
Rafael Domínguez, vice-president of the Pontevedra Provincial Council, highlighted the city’s capacity to ‘host events of an enormous level, in a wonderful space that has the capacity to attract sport. The agreement of the three institutions, Provincial Council, City Council and Xunta de Galicia, is key to allow the celebration of this European Cyclo-cross Championships’.
José Ramón Lete, general secretary of sport of the Xunta de Galicia, assured that ‘the union of Galicia with cycling is a reality. Now we are holding the most important Championships on the continent, thanks to this union and understanding between the institutions that allows us to organise this type of event’.
The President of the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation, José Luis López Cerrón, highlighted the great health of the international sport in our country: ‘Cycling is a sport that attracts tourism, that shows beautiful landscapes and spectacular places. I am confident in the sporting options of our champions, who know the circuit and are well suited to it. The work of the Federación Ciclismo Galego has been spectacular with the support of the institutions to be able to hold this European Championships in Pontevedra’.
The president of the Federación Ciclismo Galego, Juan Carlos Muñiz, values as ‘a prize to the whole trajectory of Pontevedra with cyclo-cross to be able to celebrate this European Championship. The event is possible thanks to the City Council, the Provincial Council and the Xunta, who have come to an agreement. There is a lot of hard work behind it, a lot of effort from Galician cycling and a reward for the cycling base that can compete in an event of this level in their land. We are going to highlight the tourist and scenic wealth of Galicia and Pontevedra in this European Cyclo-cross Championships’.
Among the athletes, Lorena Patiño accepted ‘the pressure and how special it will be to compete at home, with so many people watching me and trying to boost my chances’. Lucía González is looking forward to ‘a challenge, an extra motivation to compete at a European Championships in front of a national audience. We usually travel abroad and now we are competing in an event that is also an opportunity to enjoy’. Felipe Orts praised ‘a circuit that is going to be spectacular, that adapts very well and in which I hope to be in the fight. The European Championships is my first peak of form of the season in which I will give my all’.
The Mayor of Pontevedra, Miguel Anxo Fernández Lores, was in charge of closing the event. He said he was ‘especially proud to be able to experience a European Cyclo-cross Championship in Pontevedra. Betting on sport is a form of investment in health, in the base and the future as well as in the economic return of the event in the city and tourism. There will be images of the Lérez River on television all over the world. It will be a completely free event for which we have invested a lot. Who knows if we will end up doing a World Championship in the future’.
The Illa das Esculturas, on the banks of the Lérez River, will be the stage where the best cyclo-cross riders will compete in a competition that will also include the master category for the first time. The course, which has been unveiled at the competition, will have obstacles such as sand banks, three bridges and planks for the delight of the public.
It will be three days of cyclo-cross at the highest level, in an event organised by the Federación Ciclismo Galego with the support of the Concello de Pontevedra, the Diputación de Pontevedra and the Xunta de Galicia. The event is under the protection of the European Cycling Union (UEC).
Thanks to the City Council of Pontevedra, entry to the competition will be free, in contrast to the usual fee paid for access to events in Belgium or the Netherlands, where cyclo-cross is a mass sport. In its commitment to host the best international sporting events, free access is guaranteed to the circuit, on the banks of the Lérez River, where the fight for the continental cyclo-cross titles will take place.
The event will also have worldwide television coverage, in an effort of the organisation and with a lot of work together with the production and Eurovision, which have forced the excellence of the circuit to guarantee the best possible show for the hundreds of thousands of people who will follow the event from their homes.