THE SECOND EDITION OF L'ÉTAPE MADRID MARKS AN ERA

L’ÉTAPE MADRID CLOSES THE YEAR

This Sunday, more than 700 cyclists have participated in Villanueva del Pardillo in the second L’Étape Madrid by Tour de France presented by Lapierre. Just three days after the Tour de France has officially presented its route for 2023 with a start and three stages in the Basque Country, the Madrid town has been the headquarters of the march that has closed this 2022 events at L' Étape Spain.

This October 30, the spirit of Le Grande Boucle has revived on the roads of the Sierra Oeste and Ávila. More than 700 cyclists took the start in the second edition of this cycle tour, to experience in two routes what it is like to be part of a peloton of the French Grand Tour, accompanied by the event's ambassador and local legend Carlos Sastre, winner of the Tour of France in 2008.

Sastre, who has ridden as one more participant, was part of a day that has become a very special day for the former professional cyclist from Ávila, who knows the Castilian orography well: “We have enjoyed a wonderful route. They are quiet roads, but with ups and downs that alternate constantly. It has been an honor to be the ambassador of L'Etape Madrid by Tour de France presented by Lapierre very close to home, in an area for which I feel a very special affection”.

THE MADRID CHALLENGE

The Tour party in Villanueva del Pardillo began at 8 in the morning with a long route of 162 km, four ports and 2977m of positive elevation gain so that the most daring could feel in their own skin the legend of the quintessential test of Gallic cycling. A start full of desire, energy and with a good handful of kilometers to go, as happened at the start of the lite course of 112 km, three climbs and 1,939 m of positive elevation gain, which took place at 8:30 a.m. with hundreds of protagonists

The runners faced several little-traveled ports, which belong to the Madrid and Avila mountainous relief: Arrebatacapas, El Mediano, La escondida, Santa María Alameda and La Paradilla. A challenge in which the participants felt the warmth of the people from the passing towns and were able to enjoy landscapes and roads, ideal for cycling. In fact, the presence of the public was especially noticeable in the refreshment areas of Robledo de Chavela, San Bartolomé de Pinares, Las Navas del Marqués and Zarzalejo. Some spaces that had all the necessary products to assist the participants so that they could finish the challenge with all the guarantees.

Finally, the peloton crossed the finish line in the same city from which it started: Villanueva del Pardillo. With accumulated fatigue, but also with great happiness, the cyclists collected the medal that accredits them as finalists of this march. Likewise, they were able to enjoy the Pasta Party, massages and a great post-finish atmosphere at the Infanta Cristina Sports Center, venue for this event. A whole adventure that the participants have been able to complete wearing an Atika Sport jersey designed exclusively for this second edition of L'Étape Madrid by Tour de France presented by Lapierre 2022, concentrating all the Tour essence in a single garment.

Among the participants of the 162km circuit, the presence of former Movistar Estudiantes players, Pablo Llanes, Javier Blazquez and Iñaki de Miguel, who came on behalf of the NGO Holystic Pro Africa, stood out. “The long course is a demanding but very exciting challenge. We already did it last year and in this edition we have repeated. L'Étape Madrid is a unique event, with the atmosphere of the Tour, a very beautiful experience for lovers of cycling”, said Iñaki de Miguel.

Likewise, the female participants were able to add kilometers for the Movistar Circuit for Women Cyclists. An initiative that has accumulated the kilometers of the runners and has collected them in an exclusive women's classification. The first three classified won the Movistar Team Femenino prizes (a Movistar Team bicycle as first prize, a registration for the Titan Desert Almería for second and the complete Movistar Team kit for the third classified).

ABOUT THE JERSEY

Atika's jersey for L'Étape Madrid by Tour de France presented by Lapierre 2022 concentrates all the Tour essence in a single garment. The roads of the Sierra Oeste will be filled with cyclists with a unique and very special jersey. As it could not be otherwise, the yellow color, the most characteristic of the French Grand Tour, is the base of our two jerseys, male and female.

Both jerseys are impregnated with the colors white, red and green: white, symbolizing youth, since it is the jersey given to the best young classified in the Tour de France; red on white, because it reflects the passion and strength of the moles for the king of the mountains, and green represents the tenacity and perseverance of the garment that the French test gives to the winner of the points classification, the green jersey. As if this were not enough, the women's jersey adds blue to this range of colours, the identity of Movistar, one of the great brands present in cycling, and which in this way gives even more value to the Movistar Women's Cycling Circuit launched in this edition. 2022 de L'Étape Spain by Tour de France presented by Lapierre.

CYCLING FOR EVERYONE WITH THE FAMILY RIDE BY AEDAS HOMES

Although the big party was reserved for adults, the little ones were able to experience the legend of the Tour de France. The Family Ride by AEDAS Homes was held on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. and, in it, a group of boys and girls, accompanied by their parents, were part of what the elderly felt on Sunday.

4.5 kilometers of celebration and fun, starting and finishing in Villanueva del Pardillo itself. An initiative that seeks to promote the use of bicycles and the practice of healthy lifestyle habits and sustainable mobility among the little ones. In addition to their participation, all the little cyclists received recognition for their effort on the bike.

RAFFLE FOR THE LAPIERRE SOLIDARITY BIKE SPECIAL EDITION L’ÉTAPE SPAIN

On the other hand, this 2022, Lapierre has launched the official charity bicycle of L'Étape Madrid and L'Étape Granada by Tour de France presented by Lapierre: the Lapierre AIRCODE DRS, special edition L'Étape Spain, whose design was previously chosen by popular vote of the followers and/or participants of the two marches of the brand. This Sunday, the bicycle is raffled among all those followers and participants who contributed to the donation. A solidarity action whose beneficiary is the International Red Cross, having raised a total of 2,075 euros. An amount that will be donated entirely in support of the humanitarian cause deployed by this NGO in Ukraine.

All in all, the passage of the peloton, security, Saturday in the Village for the collection of numbers and the entire Tour atmosphere on both Saturday and Sunday would not have been possible without all the collaborating entities: from the Villanueva del Pardillo Town Hall and the passing municipalities, volunteers, the State security forces and bodies, without forgetting, of course, the sponsors, LAPIERRE, AEDAS HOMES, MOVISTAR, ATIKA, SCIENTIFFIC NUTRITION, STRAVA, and the collaborators, BMW CAETANO CUZCO and HOLYSTIC. Each and every one of them gave their best to make the second L'Étape Madrid by Tour de France presented by Lapierre a festive cycling experience as faithful as possible to the experience of participating in the French Grand Tour.