Growth of La Rioja Bike Race

The international competition extends a day and La Rioja eBike Ride comes up, a touristic experience with electronic bicycles

La Rioja has held today the presentation of the sixth edition of La Rioja Bike Race, the MTB stage race with designation of origin that will take place in Logroño from May 9th to 12th.

The 2019 La Rioja Bike Race’s major sports novelty will be its four stages according to the new regulations of the International Cycling Union (UCI). A first and short Flash Stage, a maratón stage, the queen BUFF® Super Stage, and the last Finisher Stage.

La Rioja Bike Race will be a UCI event for the sixth consecutive year and will be held just before the beginning of the World Cup, awarding valuable points for the world ranking and the classification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

D. Conrado Escobar, La Rioja’s Minister of Social Policies, Equality, Family and Justice highlighted: "This year presents the best version of La Rioja Bike Race, in this case because it has more kilometers, more landscape, higher sport level, it will be a bit more entertaining, more touristy because we continue adding more tourist landscapes in the routes, and more international. It is a nice opportunity to enjoy La Rioja and Logroño. "

For his part, Javier Merino, Logroño’s Sports Councillor, added that "we are talking about one more edition, with much more. More nationalities, more tourism and more overnight stays in Logroño. The race is identified by the sport level and at the same time, by the tourist impact it has in the area, with more than 6,000 overnight stays. In each edition the 'sold out' poster has been hung in the accommodations in the area. La Rioja Bike Race is a combination between sport and gastronomy ".

All the speakers who have participated in the presentation of La Rioja Bike Race have highlighted the news that the organising company, Octagon Esedos, is incorporating every year.

Aitor Jiménez, Event Director of Octagon Esedos, wanted to emphasize that "it was in 2014 when we started this journey and we set ourselves a clear objective: to become a national and international benchmark. From Octagon Esedos we can say that we have achieved it. We are facing a sixth edition that will once again present record numbers, with one more day of competition and with 800 registered today.

Assured fun!

La Rioja Bike Race 2019 will have four stages starting and finshing at the Palacio de los Deportes de Logroño, where the paddock with all the riders’ services and an exhibition space for teams and brands, will be located.

Rocío del Alba García, race ambassador together with Carlos Coloma, bronze at the Under 23 cross country (XCO) European Championship, has highlighted that "the route is designed so that riders know the most iconic places of La Rioja, its vineyards and historical monuments that make it great. La Rioja is a cyclist paradise, and the Trevijano pass, the Roman road or the climb to Moncalvillo are mythical sections of the race".

Hence, La Rioja Bike Race will traverse 230 kilometres with 5.215 metres of elevation gain, with fun singletracks and fascinating landscapes, in which the Rioja vineyards will accompany the mountain bikers along balanced and attractive stages.

All the stages will be out and back and will pass by iconic places in which fun, authenticity, natural technical and physical difficulties, spectacular landscapes and flow will predominate.

La Rioja Bike Race 2019 will open the competition with the short, fast and intense Flash Stage of 17,6 kilometres and 284 metres of elevation gain and category wave starts.

The second stage will have 79,3 kilometres and 1.681 metres of climbing and will pass by iconic places in which fun and vineyards predominate.

The BUFF® SUPER STAGE will be the queen day with nearly 84 kilometres y 2.263 metres of elevation gain and will outstand for its numerous singletracks and mythical stretches with lots of flow.

The last 48 kilometres and 987 metres of climbing of the FINISHER STAGE incorporate an unprecedented downhill to finish with a huge smile.

Rocío del Alba Garcia also stressed that "the environment of La Rioja, tourism on Laurel Street and the hospitality of all Riojans, makes La Rioja Bike Race bigger".

La Rioja eBike Ride, touring on electronic bicycle

Another of the main novelties of this 2019 is the addition of a touristic experience on e-bike, a discipline that is living an exponential growth during these last years.

The organisation together with Tourism of La Rioja, have designed routes that enable a group of one hundred people to enjoy an exclusive e-bike touring experience parallel to La Rioja bike Race.

Two guided routes in groups of 25 people, that will pass along places of great visual and historical richness for La Rioja, with feed stations and wineries, Meet&Greet with renown cyclists and first class services.

The first edition of La Rioja eBike Ride will take place on Friday May 10th with an easy 45 kilometre route, and a second one on Saturday May 11th of 49 kilometres and medium difficulty, having the possibility to sign up for one or both routes.

An exclusive activity and complementary to La Rioja Bike Race, that will begin its registration period on Wednesday March 13th through the official website of La Rioja Bike Race, www.lariojabikerace.com.