450 Cyclists to Participate in the Ninth Edition of the Fred.Olsen Express Transgrancanaria Bike

The race will be held in the south of the island from Thursday 16th to Sunday 19th

The Sports Councilor of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Aridany Romero, highlights that the event has the endorsement of the UCI and promotes the island as an active tourism destination

450 participants will race in the south of Gran Canaria from this Thursday to Sunday in the ninth edition of the Fred.Olsen Express Transgrancanaria Bike, an event organized by Arista Eventos that, for the second consecutive year, will be scoring in the calendar of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in the S2 category of Cross Country Marathon (XCM). The race, which was presented this Tuesday in the press room of the Gran Canaria Arena, sold out registrations in the all stages category in April.

The Sports Councilor of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Aridany Romero, emphasized that MTB cycling has more and more followers on the island and that this year we are facing one of the most international editions of the Fred.Olsen Express Transgrancanaria Bike since it has the endorsement of the UCI, which is why the main athletes in this discipline will seek the final victory in an event that has doubled the number of participants, as 230 cyclists competed in 2023.

“It is important to promote this type of sporting event because with them we export Gran Canaria as an active tourism destination brand, and they create economy and jobs through the sports industry,” said Romero, who also praised the public-private collaboration in sports events with sponsors such as Fred.Olsen Express, the main sponsor of the event. For the company’s Sales Manager, Lorenzo Spinelli, it is an honor to be part of this event that celebrates nine years in the 50th anniversary of the shipping company.

For his part, the Sports Councilor of the San Bartolomé de Tirajana Town Hall, Ramón Suárez, stressed that for the municipality it is important to promote sporting events like this, as they contribute to the tourism promotion of the municipality and the Maspalomas Costa Canaria destination.

The CEO of Arista Eventos, Fernando González, explained that this year there has been a qualitative leap with the participation of professional teams such as Scott Cala Bandida, Buff-Megamo, Klimatiza Toteemi, and Tabros Racing, who will land on the island with several of the best international cyclists in the UCI ranking, such as the Dutch Hans Becking, Tessa Kortekaas, and Rosa van Doorn, or the Spaniards Natalia Fischer, Roberto Bou, Sergio Mantecón, and Miguel Muñoz, among others. However, González pointed out that, although the race has a professional character, it also does not forget popular cyclists, making it a race suitable for all levels.

Meanwhile, the secretary of the Insular Cycling Federation of Gran Canaria, Agustín Rodríguez, commented that the Fred.Olsen Express Transgrancanaria Bike “is the most important race on the cycling calendar in the Canary Islands” and that, furthermore, this year it will be open to training categories with the celebration on Sunday the 19th of a race valid for the Gran Canaria Cycling Schools Championship, in which the participation of 150 boys and girls is expected.

Finally, Natalia Fischer, winner in 2021 and who this year will seek to defend her title with the Scott Cala Bandida jersey, acknowledged that the competitive level of the race this year is high and, therefore, it is one of the most important events on the national and international calendar. This Wednesday will be the collection of bib numbers between 11:00 and 18:00 hours, and from Thursday, the competition will begin in Cercados de Araña.

The Fred.Olsen Express Transgrancanaria Bike, organized by Arista Eventos, has the main sponsorship of Fred.Olsen Express. In addition, it receives support from the Cabildo of Gran Canaria through the institutions Turismo de Gran Canaria and the Insular Institute of Sports, as well as from the Government of the Canary Islands with Islas Canarias Latitud de Vida. The San Bartolomé de Tirajana Town Hall and Maspalomas Costa Canaria also provide their support. Likewise, the race is supported by the companies 226ERS, Vivac Aventura, Gobik, Emicela, Pepsi, Aguas de Teror, Lorenzo González Automoción, Gofio La Piña, Sonocom, Provital, and Inetel.