Fred. Olsen Express Transgrancanaria Bike brings together more than 230 cyclists from 13 countries in an edition featuring new developments and major international stars

The Fred. Olsen Express Transgrancanaria Bike is ready to begin. For the fourth consecutive year, the race is part of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) S2 category in the cross-country marathon stage race discipline and will bring together more than 230 cyclists from 13 countries. Riders will tackle four stages and more than 160 timed kilometres, with over 3,500 metres of elevation gain in the demanding All Stages category, considered the flagship format of the event.

The press room at the Gran Canaria Arena hosted the official presentation of the eleventh edition of the mountain bike race this Wednesday. Organised by Arista Eventos, the event will begin this Thursday, May 14, in Lomo Magullo, in the municipality of Telde, once again placing Gran Canaria on the international map of stage mountain biking.

The event was attended by Aridany Romero, Sports Councillor of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria and president of the Instituto Insular de Deportes; Carlos Álamo, Tourism Councillor of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria; Ramón Suárez, Sports Councillor of the Municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana; Lorenzo Spinelli, representing Fred. Olsen Express, the event’s title sponsor; and Carlos González, race director of the Fred. Olsen Express Transgrancanaria Bike.

Aridany Romero highlighted the event’s consolidation within the island’s sporting calendar and stressed the importance of public-private collaboration. “Thanks to the joint effort of institutions and private companies, we are once again delivering a major international event. Retaining the UCI label also demonstrates our organisational strength and reinforces Gran Canaria as a destination for major sporting events,” said Romero.

Carlos Álamo focused on the tourism impact of the race and the island’s international promotion: “This event once again highlights one of Gran Canaria’s greatest strengths: the opportunity to practise outdoor sports all year round. It is an extraordinary tool to showcase our tourism destination internationally.”

Ramón Suárez welcomed the municipality’s continued role in the race route and noted that “it is very important for San Bartolomé de Tirajana to remain part of this event. Three of the four stages take place in our municipality, showcasing areas such as Ayagaures, Cañón del Águila and the Parque Sur de Maspalomas.”

Representing Fred. Olsen Express, Lorenzo Spinelli highlighted the event’s growth since the company joined in 2019. “We always believed this race could become a global benchmark in stage mountain biking, and the numbers confirm that year after year. We are proud to continue supporting an event that shares values such as effort, resilience and perseverance,” he said.

Carlos González outlined the main new features of this year’s edition, including the debut of a stage in Telde and the introduction of the new Half category. “We wanted to offer cyclists the chance to complete all four stages while making the final two stages more accessible for those who wanted the full experience with shorter distances,” explained González, who also thanked the public and private partners that make the event possible.

Four stages through some of the island’s most spectacular landscapes

The race gets underway this Thursday with a fast 21-kilometre stage featuring 841 metres of elevation gain through the volcanic landscapes of Rosiana, in Telde. On Friday, the event moves to the south of the island for a 23.5-kilometre uphill time trial between Parque Sur de Maspalomas and Ayagaures.

Saturday will feature a 46.1-kilometre stage starting and finishing at Cañón del Águila, passing through locations such as La Sorrueda, Barranco de Tirajana and Fortaleza de Ansite. The queen stage will take place on Sunday with 69.8 kilometres and 1,665 metres of elevation gain, starting and finishing in Maspalomas.

As the main novelty this year, the race introduces the Half category, allowing riders to complete all four stages with shorter routes over the weekend. In addition, e-bikes will once again take centre stage on Sunday during the queen stage.

A world-class field

In the women’s race, attention will be on Tessa Kortekaas, the Dutch rider based in Lanzarote, defending champion and current world number 18 in the UCI rankings. She will be joined by Manuela Muresan, winner of the race in 2020 and 2022.

In the men’s field, Hans Becking stands out after winning the last three editions and now chasing a fourth consecutive title. Also racing will be Luis Ángel Maté, a former professional rider who competed in the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, as well as MTB legend José Antonio Hermida, an Olympic medallist and world champion.

The Fred. Olsen Express Transgrancanaria Bike is organised by Arista Eventos and is proudly sponsored by Fred. Olsen Express. The race is also supported by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria through Turismo de Gran Canaria and the Instituto Insular de Deportes, as well as the Municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana and Maspalomas Costa Canaria. Additional partners include Universidad Fernando Pessoa Canarias, 226ERS, Dunas Hotels & Resorts, Gobik, Pepsi, Aguas de Teror, Gofio La Piña, Bonflex, Provital and Inetel.