Martorell, European City of Sport 2023, will have a start of la Volta

September 28 th 2022 - 11:30

(Martorell, 28-09-2022).- The town of Martorell has recently been designated as European City of Sport for the year 2023 by the Association of European Capitals and Cities of Sport (ACES Europe). Among the many sporting activities that the city is preparing for next year will be a stage start of the 102nd edition of the Volta, something that has not happened in the city since 1994.

The history of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya and the town of Martorell goes back to the 55th (1975) and 74th (1994) editions of the race. In 1975, Martorell had a finish stage in the city, starting in Manresa, which was won by the italian Pierino Gavazzi.

On the same day, a second sector of the stage was also held with an individual time trial starting in Martorell and finishing in Terrassa, with victory for the Italian Fausto Bertoglio, with an emblematic start from the Pont del Diable.

Curiously, the other precedent also has a strong italian accent, as in 1994 the stage with start and finish in Martorell ended in victory for Massimo Donatti, of the Mercatone Uno team.

Almost 30 years later, the Volta returns to Martorell on 25 March 2023, with a stage start that will bring together the best world cycling in the city, in a year full of events and sporting activities for the town of Baix Llobregat.

"It is a great pride for Martorell to host again after 29 years such an important event as the start of a stage of this new edition of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya. Our city shows again a clear commitment to major sporting events that reaffirms us as European City of Sport 2023 involving at all times the neighbours of the city in all this sporting activity. We continue to demonstrate that Martorell is a good example of how sport can be positioned at the service of health, social cohesion, education and culture," said the mayor of Martorell, Xavier Fonollosa.

"Martorell City Council must to be congratulated for its firm commitment to sport, and good proof of this is the recognition as European City of Sport. I am sure that the start of the Volta will be one of the central events of this designation, with the presence of the best teams and cyclists in the world in Martorell", said the president of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, Rubèn Peris.

The 102nd edition of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya will be held from 20 to 26 March 2023, and will take part the 18 best teams in the world, the UCI WorldTeams, and 7 guest teams from the UCI ProTeams.

The last winner of the race was the colombian Sergio Higuita (Bora-Hansgrohe), accompanied on the podium by the ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (INEOS) and the portuguese Joao Almeida (UAE Team).

Photography: Sortida d'una contrarrellotge individual al Pont del Diable de Martorell, l'any 1975 (Arxiu Volta)

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