The 75 VCV starts the countdown with ‘Pedal for the Planet 2.0’

• Tuawa by Global Omnium and the organisers of the cycling round will be inviting Valencian society to a fun, family-friendly event on Monday January 22nd in the Turia riverbed.
• The champions of the Vuelta a España and the Giro, Ángel Casero and Stefano Garzelli, and the U23 Lluna Hervàs will take part in the race.

Valencia, January 17th. The organisers of the Volta la Comunidad Valenciana and Tuawa by Global Omnium will be holding the 2nd edition of ‘Pedalea por el Planeta’ (Pedal for the Planet) on Monday January 22nd. A sustainable family cycling ride with arrival and departure at the Puente de la Expisición in the Turia Garden, starting at 11:00 am, where there will also be workshops and children’s activities for the youngest members of the family.

Both the VCV and Tuawa by Global Omnium, which this year gives its name to the women’s cycling race, have chosen the feast day of San Vicente Mártir so that the whole family can spend an enjoyable day with the sport of cycling and sustainability as their flagship in an emblematic place like the Turia riverbed, the green lung of the city of Valencia.

Pedal for the Planet’ consists of a circular bike ride of just 10 kilometres designed for the whole family to enjoy, in a circuit that goes from the Puente de la Exposición to the Puente de Nuevo Centro to return to the Puente de Monteolivete and from there, back to the Puente de la Exposición.

In this recreational activity, as in the last edition, former professional cyclists will take part, such as Ángel Casero, champion of the Vuelta a España in 2001 and Director of the VCV; Stefano Garzelli, former Italian cyclist who won the Giro d’Italia 2000; Paco Benítez, sports director of the VCV; Paco Benítez, former Valencia CF player Paco Camarasa and the Valencian cyclist Marta Romeu, as well as sportsmen and women who will join, with their example, in the commitment to environmental awareness and the promotion of sport that Tuawa has been a flag bearer of since it implemented the filtering system in its sustainable water fountains, eliminating the consumption of plastic bottled water from homes.

“Pedal for the Planet is part of the VCV roadmap. A meeting for lovers of sustainability and cycling. We are here to raise awareness not only among children, but also among adults. Today children are born with the chip of sustainability, they already know where to throw every waste in the trash. In the ‘Pedalea’ on Monday 22nd it is important that adults come accompanied by children to do sport, just a few kilometres, with us, with cyclists, former cyclists and former professionals retired from cycling. This year the VCV is 75 years old and we are riding again with a partner such as Tuawa by Global Omnium, thus reinforcing our firm commitment to the environment. Three years ago we became one of the most sustainable cycling competitions in Spain, and I would say one of the few in the world, and that is the message we want to send to a society increasingly committed to caring for the planet,” said Angel Casero, on the occasion of the presentation of ‘Pedalea por el Planeta 2.0’, which took place this Wednesday in the Turia Riverbed, next to the Palau de la Música, where part of the route of ‘Pedalea por el Planeta’ will run. The event was attended by the Valencian under 23 cyclist of the UPV team, Lluna Hervàs, together with the CEO of Tuawa, Victoria Soltero.

Dionisio García, CEO of Global Omnium, recalled during the presentation ceremony of ‘Pedalea por el Planeta’ “that both the VCV and Global Omnium’s sustainable business conceived a series of previous activities to promote the fundamental values that unite and distinguish us: sustainability and sport”. “We would like to invite everyone to participate in Pedal for the Planet in a very familiar way in a privileged environment in Valencia such as the Turia river garden”. “It is a sporting and family event where we reinforce the importance of practising sport and sustainable water consumption as vital options. This year, we are also raffling off a bicycle, an additional incentive. It is the symbiosis that exists between cycling and being respectful of the environment,” he said.

“For Global, environmental care is strategic. Water is a scarce resource that must be used and cared for, and we specialise in the integral water cycle. Caring for the environment is fundamental. Any event that promotes sustainability, such as the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, and good care of the planet, must count on us. If the city of Valencia itself is committed to this, then even more so because for us Valencia is also the heart of our work”, added Dionisio García.

Children’s activities and bicycle raffle

People of all ages can take part in Pedal for the Planet. “All you have to do is sign up for the bike ride, bring a bike, comfortable clothes and, above all, a desire to have fun,” explains Victoria Soltero, CEO of Tuawa.

For those who don’t have a bike, but do want to participate in the children’s activities, they can stay in the surroundings of the Puente de la Exposición where the organisation will offer different workshops and environmental awareness activities for the little ones. In addition to the tents of the Volta and the Aguas de Valencia Foundation, the Oceanográfic Foundation and the Azul Marino Foundation, among others, will also be participating in the leisure area.

In the surroundings of the Puente de la Exhibición, there will be activities such as face painting, car painting, where the children will be able to paint a vehicle entirely themed with drawings of nature; games and awareness-raising activities and a musical area with a speaker to liven up the event. This year the organisers will also be raffling off a mountain bike, VCV jerseys and other surprises among the duly registered participants.

Green and blue itinerary

Access to the itinerary is absolutely open and free of charge. Pedal for the Planet will start at the Puente de la Exposición due to the ease of access by public transport -since the metro stops right there-, its central location and the wide spaces available.

In order to respect all users of the riverbed, people will ride along the cycle lane in single file: “The aim is to lengthen the peloton as much as possible so that there is a large blue current of Valencians of all ages committed to responsible water consumption and the reduction of the carbon footprint and water footprint”, said Victoria Soltero.

To improve the organisation and reward those who take part, the Pedal for the Planet organisation has opened a website https://tuawa.es/pedalea-por-el-planeta-2-0/ so that all those who register will receive a free gift of a cyclist’s jerry can that can be filled on site with sustainable filtered water.

Bib number ‘1’ for everyone

The organisers will also be handing out bibs with the number 1 on them, so that the message is clear: When it comes to defending the planet, we are all ‘1’. To facilitate the activities, the organisers will have volunteers on foot and on bikes along the route to accompany and organise the 10 km ride, which everyone can modulate as they wish: “The important thing is to participate and for the young and old to enjoy themselves and learn to respect the environment”, say the organisers.