Sant Feliu de Guíxols, grand départ of the Volta for the period 2024-2027
September 20 th 2023 - 13:00 [GMT + 2]
The Volta Ciclista a Catalunya will have its big start in Sant Feliu de Guíxols for the next four years, following the agreement reached between the Guixols City Council and the organisers of the race, the third oldest stage race in the world after the Tour de France and the Giro of Italy.
Sant Feliu de Guíxols reaffirms its commitment to the Volta, having already been the big start of the most important cycling event in Catalonia for the last two years, and one of the most historic and prestigious races on the UCI WorldTour calendar, with 102 editions held.
The mayor of the town, Carles Motas, and the president of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, A.E., Rubèn Peris, have formalised the agreement in a ceremony held at the City Council this afternoon. The Slovenian Jumbo-Visma rider Primoz Roglic, in a sprint with the Belgian Remco Evenepoel, was the last winner in the city (2023), which has also recently seen the Australian Michael Matthews win twice (2019 and 2022).
In total, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, in the heart of the Costa Brava, has been present in the Volta a Catalunya as a stage start or finish on 24 occasions, and riders such as the French Laurent Jalabert (1992), the Italian Maurizio Fondriest (1993) and the French Victor Fontan (1926) have been protagonists in the Empordà town with stage victories. The mayor of Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Carles Motas, has expressed his excitement at being the starting town of the Volta for the next four years.
As Motas said, "Sant Feliu is in the heart of the Costa Brava, it is purely Mediterranean, and we are delighted that the starting point of the main catalan cycling event will be our home. The Volta's relationship with Sant Feliu allows us to speak of familiarity and a certain tradition, which means excitement and good memories. We know that it is an important collective effort, but we also know that it translates into good times, promotional impact worldwide, and for this reason we will not spare organisational efforts".
"We are delighted with the partnership we have formed with Sant Feliu de Guíxols. For the Volta a Catalunya to close this four-year agreement is a real privilege, as it allows us to work with calm and it is an excellent place for cycling and for our own organisation, both on a sporting level and in terms of logistics and services. Moreover, we have always had an excellent response from the public", said the president of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Associació Esportiva, Rubèn Peris.
Sant Feliu de Guíxols is a town in the Empordà region in the heart of the Costa Brava which, thanks to its climate, is surrounded by a landscape full of contrasts. The town, an old fishing village, preserves an important historical heritage whose greatest exponent is the Benedictine monastery and its oldest part, the Romanesque Porta Ferrada.
In this way, Sant Feliu de Guíxols make sure to host the first stage of the race in the next four years, where the first leader of the competition will be proclaimed. In addition to the media impact of the Volta, with special attention to television broadcasting, the direct economic impact of the race is also very important, as more than 700 people stay overnight every day during the week of competition.
In the last edition, the television images of the Volta a Catalunya reached 190 countries and the five continents through 33 broadcasters, including Eurosport, ClaroSport, Sky Sport and GCN. In Spain, it can be seen live on Esport3, TDP and Eurosport.
The 103rd edition of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya will take place from 18 to 24 March 2023, and Sant Feliu de Guíxols will once again host the 25 teams taking part in the first stage of the competition.