The sixth edition of the Foundation’s Selection Campus warms up its engines
Once again in Zaragoza, and this year between the 21st and 23rd of September, a new edition will be held, the sixth edition of the Selection Campus of the Fundación Alberto Contador, sponsored by “La Mafia se sienta a la mesa” Restaurants. One of the great moments, perhaps the most special, in the daily life of all the Foundation’s activities, for which a registration period has already opened and will remain open until 7 September, and for which there is more information on the junior team’s website.
The Selection Campus is a fundamental part of the Foundation’s sports project, since it allows young riders to be recruited into the junior structure and, year after year, to mature in their different squads until, if possible, without ever losing sight of the perspective of their difficulty, reaching professionalism. The Andalusian Juan Pedro López, who last June was promoted to the Continental Polartec-Kometa, was admitted to the teams of the Foundation through this campus.
“This is one of the aspects that, from my point of view, sets us apart from other structures, a field in which we have been pioneer: this campus for the recruitment of cyclists, which is the basis of our entire project. We are not only interested in the abilities of the kids to ride a bicycle; on the contrary, what is more important, we value the person, education, training and the possibilities of adapting to the philosophy of the team”, explains the general manager Fran Contador. The commitment and the degree of involvement of the Aragonese firm Restaurantes La Mafia se sienta a la mesa, emphasizes Contador, is fundamental for the implementation of this project: “It is not a mere sponsorship, it is that we organize it together and for us it is a privilege to have your help and support”.
On average, between thirty and forty participants have taken part each year in the past editions of the initiative, and some young people, such as Alejandro Ropero from Granada, who has been stagiaire with the first team since 1 August, have attended on two occasions after not being selected for the first one. The eleven riders who make up this season’s junior squad were selected in their entirety last year.
For Félix García Casas, Sports Manager of the Foundation: “The Campus is one of the pillars of the Foundation’s sports project; it is the best tool we have to detect cyclists. So far it has given us very good results. It is a very new idea in which we not only look for the cyclist’s sporting potential, but we also value a more personal and social aspect of the children, how they are or how they relate to each other, looking for personality profiles suitable to our idea of project and team. With the passage of time, the idea that we do level tests, physical tests, has been rejected. That’s why we already have his sports record. At these early ages, many times what we have to look for is committed, willing young people who are committed to a project and who are beginning to have an idea or an objective to be cylindrical. And they want to start a process of formation and progress with us”.
“It’s a very rewarding experience for all the kids who come, and they haven’t been told that by many attendees over the years. In the end it is a fabulous experience that they share with other cyclists, whether they join the team or not”, concludes Fran Contador.
More information and registration.
http://junior.fundacioncontadorteam.com/en/camp/
