Recover a tradition
Volta a Galicia was a stage race that was held throughout the Galician territory since 1933 (year of its first edition) and lasted over the years (although not continuously) until 2000, being relegated from 2002 an amateur category.
So, there is a huge list of sportsmen who competed and won this race. Historical names in the world of cycling such as Miguel Induráin, Marino Lejarreta, Abraham Olano, Marco Pantani, Laurent Jalabert, Claudio Chiapucci, Frank Vandenbroucke or Álvaro Pino participated (or won) in some of its editions. A race that always attracted main sportsmen and that had the sympathy of the best teams in the world, who squared their calendars to give the best of shows in the Galician round.
With O Gran Camiño, we try to revitalize this race, with an up-to-date image and staging in touch with current circumstances, to bring it back in the most avant-garde way possible. We will try that, from the first moment, this race has the level, the repercussion and the fame that the Volta a Galicia had in its days, attracting the great world figures of the moment.
The idea is to fit our project between February 24 and 27, adapting our dates to the rest of the calendar and teams’ logistics. We want to frame it between the Challenge of Mallorca and the Vuelta a Andalucía – Volta ao Algarve, to facilitate the movement of all the structures that during those days compete by the peninsula.
Cycling is a fascinating spectator sport. Its main asset lies in its continuously growing global legion of fans, in addition to the fact that tends to take place in evocative places. The popular cyclist not only emulates his idols by buying the same bicycle or equipment, he also travels with his family to pedal through the scenarios he sees on TV. From the organization, we will focus our efforts on creating a suggestive, different and motivating event for the viewer, for the participant and, above all, for the sponsor / promoter.
We consider that the strength of the name is very important to penetrate the minds of the fans, viewers and participating teams. This reason led us to omit the classic “Cycling Tour…” and load the naming of symbolism without losing the Galician identity. Cycling evolves, teams evolve, broadcasts evolve … and except for Grand Tours, we firmly believe that other races must evolve and adapt their product to fully exploit the potential and possibilities that this sport offers. Through our unique career, we illustrate to the world that Galicia is the great destination, O Camiño dos Camiños, O Gran Camiño.
Cycling culture
In addition to creating fans, these kind of races serve to promote the introduction of the use of the bicycle as a means of transport and outdoor activity, without focusing the event exclusively on the competitive version of the bicycle. Is also possible to influence infrastructures linked to it, such as cycle lanes or the recovery of old railway lines for bikes. Sustainable mobility is already part of the common ideology of society and there, the bike plays a capital role.
