Finestrat all set to host Costa Blanca cycle race featuring world’s top women riders

FINESTRAT is also set to host a key stage of a cycle race featuring some of the world’s top women riders.
The locality will be the finishing line for the 2^nd stage of the ‘Setmana Ciclista Valenciana. Vuelta Comunidad Valenciana Feminas’ on Friday February 21.
This will be the fourth edition of the race, and will see nearly 200 cyclists battling it out, among them several world champions.
Finestrat Mayor Juan Francisco Perez and Sports councillor David Alcarcon joined provincial Sports deputy Bernabe Cano and event director Ruben Donet at the Diputacion de Alicante offices earlier this week to present the race details. Also there was Juanjo Castello, the Mayor of Agost where the stage ending in Finestrat begins.
The so-called “queen” stage will cover 126 kilometres and will include tackling five mountain passes: Maigmo, Carrasqueta, Alto de Benifallim, Alto de Tudons and Finestrat.
The riders will start out from Agost, going through Castalla, Ibi, Xixona, La Torre de les Maçanes, Benifallim, Penaguila, Sella and Orxeta, and ending up in Finestrat.
Donet explained the race will be streamed live on social media and on a giant screen, which will be set up next to the finish line.
The Finestrat Mayor underlined the importance for the municipality of hosting this kind of sporting event as a way of publicising the locality’s visitor attractions to an international audience.
“For us it is a matter of pride and an ideal opportunity because we are talking about a sport which many enthusiasts in the Finestrat area practice given our privileged mountain landscapes”, Perez commented.
He also pointed out the event raises the visibility of women’s sport, and said he expected to see a race stage of the highest level.
This year 25 teams of 12 different nationalities will be taking part in what will be the fourth edition of the Semana Ciclista Valenciana. Vuelta Comunidad Valenciana Feminas. Participants will include last year’s winner, the German Clara Koppenburg, and world champions Anna van der Breggen and Chantal Blaak.