Tuesday, May 6, 2025, 07:00
Jorge García opens in command of the return to Bidasoa-Gran Award El Diario Vasco held from Thursday to Saturday. He has collected the witness of Antxon Mendia. The roles have been exchanged. The young man has taken the witness and the veteran passes to the background. It costs more and more to organize cycling races, and they well know those who pull the car from the return to the Bidasoa. If it is not the budget, they are traffic problems or power struggles in the Federation, or coincidence with a holiday in France, so it affects traffic on this side of Bidasoa.
– Satisfied with how the career design has been?
– The reality is that it has cost to get the race forward. We would have liked to occupy the weekend and that the race did not end on Saturday but it has not been possible because the Gipuzko Federation of Cycling did not finish seeing it. We are happy in any case. We are a race that we have adapted to reality, valued by the teams.
– What would you highlight about the tour? Start with a chrono -scalled.
– It’s the most remarkable. On Thursday 8, the end of World War II in France is commemorated on France and that is what prevents us from taking the race to Iparralde, as we would have liked. It could not be traveled by certain roads in anticipation of the large number of vehicles in them. So for the first time since 2005, a chrono -scallop is going to be held, the first day. Then it was from Hondarribia to Guadalupe and this time it will be from Guadalupe to Jaizkibel, specifically at the height where the tourism hostel was, shortly before crowning. There will be four kilometers, the first descent, with an accumulated unevenness of 219 meters. The second stage, Irurita-Bere, will be the longest, 141 kilometers, with the forestry final to the sprint. We wanted to put the goal in Ibardin but it could not be. It will be a stage in which some will try to recover time. And the third, Hendaia-Irun, includes seven ascents, adding piety, from Lesaka, to the every year menu. We will leave Hendaia, because we want and we must be in the three locations of the cross -border consortium. Instead of Arkale we go up by Gurutze and after Aritxulegi and Agraña, mercy is added. The goal will be in the Paseo Colón de Irun.
– What cyclists do you want to see?
– To those at home. Mikel Irigoien, Maker Bermejo and Iran Gómez. But also others like Haimar Etxeberria, who last year came with the idea of fighting for victory and was finally third. Louis Sutton won. But there is more: the Caja Rural comes with everything, the Finisher has Iker Gómez and Unai Ramos, we will have the Zumaiarra Aitor Agirre, who in the last edition suffered a fall in the descent of San Marcial that left him out of the battle for the defense of the final victory … We have a very good participation, it will be a beautiful career. The teams take us into account, they make it easy and we can say that the return to Bidasoa is alive. We have eleven teams by Euskal Herria, from the Spanish State, there will be French teams and a flamenco.
– It does not have to be easy to take the witness of Antxon Mendia.
– We can only thank you for the excellent work you have done. It is a luck that the relay has been calm and that today they still throw a cable. Until one does not take the reins, he does not finish seeing all the work that means carrying out a cycling test. They are many things and count to the smallest detail.
