He Mayor of Bilbaowhere on July 1 the 110th edition of Tour de Francewas excited this Thursday to “show the world that we can host an event of this magnitude. For us it is an amazing opportunity (…) Bilbao is home to millions of spectators around the world, ” he said to the press Juan Mari Aburtomayor of a Basque city.
This will be the second time in the history of the gala round that will start at Basque Countrythirty one years after it started on San Sebastian. The race will stay in the Basque Country for three days.
The first stage around Bilbao will include some short but steep climbs, including the Pike climb (2km at 9%). will pass twice Guernicabombed in 1937 by the Nazi Condor Legion and famous for painting the Pablo Picasso. The second stage will start in Vitoria and reach San Sebastián. The Tour will head to France and Bayonne from Amorebieta.
The cost of hosting the Tour for three days represents an investment of twelve million euros, according to the mayor of Bilbao. Financing is distributed between the Basque Government and the various town councils, including the three provincial capitals that make up the autonomous community of the Basque Country: Bilbao (capital of Vizcaya), Vitoria (Álava) and San Sebastián ( Guipúzcoa).
In the DNA of the Basques
“The Tour de France is the third most important sporting event in the world after the Olympic Games and the World Cup. It is impossible to bring the first two to a city the size of Bilbao. That is why we are proud to be able to host the Tour” declared Unai Rementeria Maiz (Bizkaia Provincial Council).
“Cycling is in the DNA of the Basques, here at the weekend everyone is cycling,” he added, recalling the first meeting with the organizer ASO and the director of the Tour, Christian Prudhomme, who was present this Thursday in Bilbao, it was in 2016.
Bilbao, with 350,000 inhabitants, has undergone an amazing rebirth since the opening of Guggenheim Museum in October 1997.
“When the whole industry collapsed in the 1980s, we changed our model. With the Tour de France, we want to show the world that we have become a modern, dynamic and safe city,” said the mayor, who “hopes to attract many . future tourists” thanks to Large Boucle.
Source: La Verdad
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