"L'ÉTAPE BILBAO BY TOUR DE FRANCE" A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR CYCLOTOURISM
The race will be held on 11 June and will be a one-off event to coincide with the Grand Départ Pays Basque 2023
On the occasion of the historic celebration of the Grand Départ Pays Basque 2023, this morning "L'ÉTAPE BILBAO BY TOUR DE FRANCE" was presented, an extraordinary cycling tour that Bilbao and Bizkaia will host on 11 June. It will be a one-off event with a twofold objective: to attract and involve the amateur public in this event and to publicise the start of the Tour de France among the general public.
Aitor V. Morell, coordinator of the event, has stressed the importance of the event and the moment in which it arrives in our territory, since "there are many cyclotourist marches, but very few reproduce the first stage of the Tour". He also pointed out that 'L'ÉTAPE BILBAO BY TOUR DE FRANCE 2023' "is arguably one of the most demanding stages of all the Tour de France in recent decades".
The L'ÉTAPE BILBAO OFFICIAL route is identical to the first stage of the Tour de France 2023. It will cover the 185 km of the opening day, Bilbao - Bilbao, to which must be added the 11 km of the neutralised section. Therefore, a total of 196 km, the same that Mikel Landa, Ion Izagirre, Pello Bilbao, Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogaçar, Wout Van Aert or Julian Alaphillipe, among others, will cover on 1 July.
Thierry Gouvenou, former professional cyclist and current Race Director of the Tour de France, explained the most technical part of the Official circuit, as the person responsible for its design.
responsible for its design. "When I design a route in a country that is not my own, I use local experts. It's a course that requires strength and technique. There are a lot of fans here and you have to live up to expectations".
The presentation was also attended by Joseba Beloki, a three-time Tour de France podium finisher who, along with other Basque cyclists, has collaborated with the Tour organisers in defining the stages of the Grand Départ: "To be able to emulate the professionals on such a demanding route is a unique opportunity". Joseba added that: "being able to do the route in a group will help many people to do it, as it would be very difficult to do it individually".
Ziortza Villa, four times European Ultra Long Distance Champion and in charge, together with Julián Sanz, of bringing the Trophy Tour, witness of the Grand Départ, from Paris to Bilbao in less than 48 hours last July, wanted to highlight the opportunity that the possibility of participating in a race of these characteristics means for all the fans: "The chosen route is spectacular, many active cyclists use it for training. The people who come from abroad will take away a great image of what we are".
In addition to the 'Official' race, there will be two other distances, L'ÉTAPE BILBAO MEDIUM, which is 157 km long and has a positive difference in altitude of 2,850m. This second circuit will run almost entirely on the 'Tour' road. And the L'ÉTAPE BILBAO LITE, which is 125 km long, 116 km of which will be on the same route as the Tour de France. Both the start and finish of the three events follow the same route as the first stage of the 'Grande Boucle' 2023.
The registration period for this exclusive event is now open on the official website of the event. Prices vary according to the distance of the race and the date of registration. The price for the 'Official' and 'Medium' is 75€, with the option of a reduced rate if registration is made before 31 January (65€) and 11 May (70€). The 'Lite' will cost 72€, but like the previous ones, it will be cheaper until 31 January (62€) and 11 May (67€). Non-federation members will have to pay an extra €6 for accident insurance.
All races include a specially designed Santini jersey in Tour de France yellow. In addition, participants will enjoy refreshments, post-race catering and many other services.
