Lleida returns to the Volta after eleven years with a stage finish
January 3 rd 2024 - 11:30 [GMT + 1]
The city of Lleida is one of the historic towns with the highest number of participations in the Volta.
The city of Lleida returns to the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya in 2024, and it will do so through the main gate. The capital of Segrià will host one of the stage finishes of the 103rd edition of the Catalan cycling race, which will be held between 18 and 24 March, eleven years after its last appearance on the route.
Lleida has been one of the most visited cities in the history of the Volta a Catalunya. Present on the route of the Volta since its first edition (1911), the city of Lleida has hosted a start or finish of the Catalan race on up to 73 occasions, being the lead in forty editions. In the 1973 and 1988 editions of the Volta a Catalunya, Lleida hosted the finish of the competition, in editions won by 'Txomin' Perurena and Miguel Indurain.
However, the last time Lleida was part of the Volta route was in 2013, when it hosted the finish of a stage that started in Rialp and was won by Canadian François Parisien in a sprint. Eleven years after this last precedent, Lleida will once again see the world's best riders on its streets in 2024, and will be one of the main scenes for the 103rd edition of the Catalan race.
Great names in the history of cycling such as Mario Cipollini (1995, 1996), Laurent Jalabert (1992, 1994), Maurizio Fondriest (1987) or Miquel Poblet (1960) have won a stage of the Volta in Lleida, among the forty occasions on which the city has hosted a finish line. Lleida, with 140,080 inhabitants, is the sixth most populated city in Catalonia and its inland capital, considered a strong commercial, service, educational, cultural, economic and health epicentre. With an important heritage, Lleida is particularly identified with the monumental complex of La Seu Vella and its walled area. A unique cathedral built on a hill from where it can be seen not only the city, but also a large part of the region of Segrià and the Plana de Lleida, which will once again be the main protagonists of one of the great events of Catalan sport.
The Councillor for Sports of the City Council of Lleida, Jackson Quiñonez said that "The fact that the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya will stop again in Lleida is a great news for our city and territory. We know that it is a top-level sporting event that will show the world what Lleida has to offer. In our city there is a great cycling tradition, and this makes it an ideal setting for the Volta. The route through the city guarantees spectacular results that will allow cycling fans to have the opportunity to enjoy their favorite sport at the elite level. The economic impact of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya will contribute to promote Lleida as a tourist destination and to consolidate it as a key point in sporting events".
Councilman Quiñonez added "thanks to the organization of the Volta for the effort to be able to count again with Lleida". "
The return to Lleida is one of the great news of the next edition of the Volta a Catalunya. A scene with such a prominent role in the long history of our race will once again be a protagonist and is one of the great attractions for the 2024 edition that’s why we are very excited about", said Rubèn Peris, president of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya.
The confirmation of a finish line in Lleida is the last piece of the announcement of the venues for the 103rd edition of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, which will bring the best riders in the world between 18 and 24 March 2024. It will do so with a route full of novelties during its week of competition, starting in Sant Feliu de Guíxols and finishing in Barcelona. Consolidated in the UCI World Tour calendar, the Volta a Catalunya will once again include the presence of the 18 best cycling teams in the world and ensures and important international media coverage. The Volta and its finish in Lleida will have a worldwide projection thanks to the broadcasting of an event that in its last edition had television coverage in up to 190 countries and the five continents, through 33 international broadcasters.
The best riders in the world will return to Catalonia to one of the most historic races on the world calendar, looking to take over from the last winner, Slovenian Primoz Roglic.
Photo: Laurent Jalabert, winner in Lleida, in 1994
