One of the biggest events in Spain’s cycling calendar is the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, whose third stage is taking place in Poble Nou de Benitatxell. Today, the 26 teams taking part in the race will cover 23 kilometres in a team time trial from the town close to Cumbre del Sol, to Calpe.
In just a short time, the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana has managed to earn itself a prestigious reputation among the most important teams on the international stage. Reborn two years ago, the race started up again in 2016 after its last edition in 2008.
Proof of the event’s prestige is seen through the level of participation: 11 teams which belong to the World Tour category – the highest division in professional cycling. Some of the winning cyclists in the most important day tests, such as Michal Kwiatkowski (winner in Milan – San Remo), Greg Van Avermaet (winner in Paris – Roubaix and current Olympic champion), Alejandro Valverde and Wout Poels (both winners in Lieja – Bastoña – Lieja), are attending this race as a vital part of their preparation ahead of this season’s most important months. They will all be racing around the streets in Poble Nou de Benitatxell, close to Cumbre del Sol, this afternoon.
Thanks to the exceptional climate enjoyed here even in the months of December and January, numerous professional cycling teams choose the region of Alicante – and specifically the towns of Calpe, Denia, and Poble Nou de Benitatxell – for their pre-season stages. As a result, it’s not unusual to travel up to Cumbre del Sol during these months and run into the current Giro d’Italia champion team training in the area.
As a region which is often frequented by professional cyclists and bicycle tourists, Cumbre del Sol was included as Stage 9 of the Vuelta a España in 2015. This unprecedented outcome ended in the victory of Dutch Tom Dumoulin, current Giro D’Italia champion, who beat cyclists such as Chris Froome, Nairo Quintana, and Purito Rodríguez.
The organisation for the Vuelta a España was satisfied with the results of the edition, and didn’t hesitate to repeat Stage 9 in Cumbre del Sol. Last year, Chris Froome pedalled to victory after his second-place finish in 2015. A few weeks later, the British cyclist would claim the red jersey of the Vuelta a España champion.
If you love cycling, at Cumbre del Sol you will have a privileged location where you can hone your skills in the sport. For more information about our houses, fill in our contact form. We would love to hear from you!