3rd October 2006
Gran Canaria will receive the first UCI World Cup Mountain Bike Gran Canaria proof (2007).
Gran Canaria´s island council presented the UCI World Cup Mountain Bike Gran Canaria this morning, through its second vice-president and Tourism-Transports councillor (Juan José Cardona), and its Sport councillor (José Miguel Álamo). This event is valid for the World Cup, which will take place on 17th and 18th March 2007 in southern Gran Canaria. The route is still to be determined.
The ceremony was the meeting place for the precursory companies´ representatives of this event, just like César Acosta (Canary Cycling Federation´s president). The national company Last Lap´s representative was its managing director, Fernando de Portugal, who will see to organizing the event with his local partners (DG Eventos and the UCI).
According to Fernando de Portugal, the UCI will contribute to the organizational structure and will see to checking the permissions, the drug taking, the computer materials...
Daniel González added: this situation causes a bigger benefit for the event, which was liberated of an important economic charge and can assume some investments in favour of a bigger show. For example, the best world´s teams will be subsidize to participate in the MTB World Cup.
The two island council´s representatives have shown themselves very satisfied with the work done so far. Cardona argued that we have been waiting for this project for over a year and a half. Gran Canaria and its cycling enthusiasts deserved an event like this. Daniel González expects counting on the participation of approximately 250 cyclists. The event´s organization provides economic aids and so it´s easier to bring these professionals to the round island.
For the time being the route is not confirmed, although the organization would be prepared to contest the race in the south municipality San Bartolomé de Tirajana. The UCI has the last word. World Cup Mountain Bike competition will take place in Gran Canaria on 17th and 18th March and the route will have 100-km long. At the same time the organization has prepared an amateur championship for Marathon days.
There is a question: the canary cyclists´ level for the event. According to César Acosta, the Canary Federation´s president), the islands´ sportspeople´s level is high. We are not prepared to win this event, he added.
