The province of Pontevedra will host the finish of the fifth edition of O Gran Camiño this year, which will conclude its journey through Galicia with a tough stage between the municipalities of As Neves and A Guarda.
It will be on April 18 when the peloton, featuring some of the biggest names in international cycling, rides along the roads of Pontevedra in what will become the final stage of O Gran Camiño 26, promising excitement and spectacle right up to the very last second.
This was announced on Tuesday at an event held at the Vigo headquarters of the Pontevedra Provincial Council, attended by the race director, Ezequiel Mosquera; the mayors of As Neves and A Guarda; the vice-president of the Provincial Council of Pontevedra, Luisa Sánchez; and the provincial president, Luis López—an institution that has reaffirmed its support for the race, which is essential for its staging.
Pontevedra, the “province of sport,” as described by Luisa Sánchez, will thus be “the icing on the cake” of the fifth edition of OGC. It will be “a tough stage” that “will surely not end in a sprint,” revealed the CEO of EME Sports, Ezequiel Mosquera, who thanked the various public administrations for their involvement.
For the director of O Gran Camiño, finishing in Pontevedra carries “significant symbolic and historical weight.” As for As Neves, he said its presence was “necessary” due to “the cycling passion” of the town and “what it represents” for the sport, while A Guarda is “a town with tremendous history, which fits perfectly with the script written by O Gran Camiño.”
Going into more detail, the mayor of As Neves, José Manuel Alfonso, highlighted the town’s strong cycling tradition, with three clubs for just over 3,000 inhabitants, and described the stage as “a tribute to all those people in As Neves who live and breathe cycling.”
Meanwhile, the mayor of A Guarda, Roberto Álvarez Carrero, emphasized the town’s tourist attractions, as the gateway to Galicia on the Portuguese Coastal Way of St. James, as well as its “sporting heritage.” “Sport is one of the fundamental values that we must always continue to promote,” he said.
THE PROVINCE OF SPORT
The president of the Pontevedra Provincial Council, Luis López, closed the event by stating that Pontevedra is “a powerhouse in cycling,” as well as “the province of sport.” In this regard, he pointed to the “roster of top-level athletes” and the strong existing fan base.
So much so that this year’s Rías Baixas tourism campaign is focused precisely on sports tourism. “O Gran Camiño perfectly represents everything we are doing in this commitment to sport,” he stressed, recalling the importance of hosting sporting events “with global impact” such as this one.
