8 Jul 2022

Zamora expands, grows, hardens and seduces: a motivating challenge for the U23 team of the Contador Foundation

Vuelta Ciclista a Zamora
12-17 July

With the unwavering support of the provincial institutions and the growing support of some of the most important companies and cooperatives in the area, another step forward for the Vuelta a Zamora. The Castilian-Leonese race, which was the first race to be organised after the COVID-19 stoppage and the confinement, has grown to six days, the stage race with the most days of the year in the national calendar, and this increase comes from the internationalisation provided by the departure from Portuguese territory.

The Vuelta a Zamora crosses the ‘A Raia’ to leave from nearby Bragança. Cycling, as a means of highlighting the intense relations and the permeability that the Portuguese-Spanish border has always had. This revaluation of the Vuelta a Zamora comes at a time when times are hard for some areas of the province due to the recent forest fires in recent weeks. The race represents a second important competitive front for the Foundation’s U23 squad, which is also taking part in the Giro Ciclístico della Valle d’Aosta at the same time. On the menu: orographically more broken terrain than you might think, windy, sometimes winding roads, steep climbs, walls, steep slopes and a large number of participants.

With Giuseppe de Maria at the helm, the blue squad travels with a ‘six’ made up of Edoardo Alleva, Antonio González, Andrea Montoli, Fran Muñoz, Andrea Pietrobon and Javi Serrano. “We always put up a fight and fight for the victory. We are going all out for the Vuelta a Zamora. A varied route, I have even been told about the calçadinha of Portugal. I’m looking forward to getting to know the race, I’m sure it will be a very nice experience”, says Andrea Pietrobon.

The stages.
12 July (stage 1): Bragança-Bragança (4.5 km ITT).

13 July (stage 2): Bragança – Alcañíces (137.5 km).