cycling

cycling
   Cycling is one of the most popular sports in Spain, both as a participator and a spectator sport, whether viewed from the trackside or via the very ample televised coverage. The major event is the Tour of Spain (Vuelta a España) which takes place from September to October each year. It is typically a twenty-three day event with one rest day, and the route varies from year to year. The 1996 route began with a circular stage of 162 km in Valencia, and the remaining days" stages were: Valencia-Cuenca (205 km); Cuenca-Albacete (184 km); Albacete-Murcia (160 km); Murcia-Almería (210 km); Almería-Málaga (210 km) Málaga— Marbella (150 km); Marbella-Jerez de la Frontera (205 km); Jerez de la Frontera-Córdoba (204 km); rest day; El Tiemblo-Avila (46 km against the clock); Avila-Salamanca (197 km); Benavente-Alto del Naranco (188 km); Oviedo-Lagos de Cova-dogna (170 km); Cangas de Onís-Parque Naturaleza de Cabárceno (170 km); Parque Naturaleza de Cabárceno-Alto Cruz de la Demanda (210 km); Logroño-Sabiñánigo (222 km); Sabiñánigo-Ampriu (158 km); Benasque-Zaragoza (222 km); Getafe-Avila (212 km); Avila-Destilerías DYC (204 km); Segovia-Destilerías DYC (44 km against the clock); finishing with a circle of 165 km in Madrid. The total of 3,898 km includes a number of arduous mountain stages, especially in the Pyrenees in northern Aragon. The 1997 route broke with tradition by starting from outside Spain in Lisbon and omitting the Pyrenees.
   In addition to the Tour of Spain, fifteen other shorter events such as the Tour of Andalusia, the Tour of Asturias etc. are held each year, as well as a series of one-day events.
   The Tour of Spain has been won by many Spaniards since it began in 1935, but it was a series of victories in the Tour de France which both created enthusiasm for cycling within Spain and brought Spanish professional cyclists to world attention. The Tour had been won by Bahamontes in 1959, by Ocaña in 1973, and by Delgado in 1988, but Induráin's victories from 1991–5 made him one of only three to have won five times, and the only one to have done so consecutively. Spanish cyclists have also been successful in world championships (Indurain and Olano, for example, were world champions in 1995, and won gold and silver medals respectively in the 1996 Olympics) and the Spanish teams of ONCE and Banesto feature frequently among the top five professional teams worldwide.
   See also: sport and leisure
   EAMONN RODGERS

Encyclopedia of contemporary Spanish culture. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • cycling —    Cycling is not a huge professional sport in the UK, despite high participation rates and the fact two million bicycles are sold in Britain annually, and the days when British teams could seriously challenge for top honours are just a memory.… …   Encyclopedia of contemporary British culture

  • Cycling '74 — Type Private Genre Digital signal processing, Software development Founded 1997 Founder(s) David Zicarelli …   Wikipedia

  • Cycling.tv — is an internet only cycling television channel, showing races from the UCI World Cycling Tour. They offer many events for free, with subscription packages offering higher data rates and exclusive content. The company was set up in 2005 and was… …   Wikipedia

  • Cycling — Cy cling (s? kl?ng), n. The act, art, or practice, of riding a cycle, esp. a bicycle or tricycle. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Cycling — bike box bikelash competitive commuting complete street door doorer fixie ghost bike …   New words

  • Cycling — Protesters cycling in Chamonix in 2003 …   Wikipedia

  • cycling — /suy kling/, n. 1. the act or sport of riding or traveling by bicycle, motorcycle, etc. 2. Also called bicycle race, bicycle racing. Sports. a race on lightweight bicycles with low handlebars, conducted for specified distances or against time on… …   Universalium

  • cycling — {{＃}}{{LM C11402}}{{〓}} {{［}}cycling{{］}} {{■}}(ing.){{□}} {{《}}▍ s.m.{{》}} Ejercicio físico que consiste en montar en bicicleta: • Dedico un rato todos los días a hacer algo de cycling.{{○}} {{★}}{{＼}}ORTOGRAFÍA:{{／}} Por ser un extranjerismo… …   Diccionario de uso del español actual con sinónimos y antónimos

  • Cycling — Cycle Cy cle (s? k l), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Cycled}. ( k ld); p. pr. & vb. n. {Cycling} ( kl?ng).] 1. To pass through a cycle[2] of changes; to recur in cycles. Tennyson. Darwin. [1913 Webster] 2. To ride a bicycle, tricycle, or other form of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cycling — noun ˈsaɪk(ə)lɪŋ The sport of riding and racing bicycles. In all my years as a cycling fan, Ive never seen a breakaway like this …   Wiktionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”