Holland will once again embark on the journey towards fulfilling its great project – to host the Official Departure of La Vuelta 22. The Dutch city and province of Utrecht and its neighbouring North Brabant will be the protagonists of the start of La Vuelta’s 77th edition. The Netherlands were already prepared to host the first three stages of the 2020 edition but the COVID-19 health crisis forced the organisation to cancel any stages held outside Spanish territory.
The preparations that were in place for the 75th edition of the Spanish tour will, therefore, be carried out in the 77th. Utrecht will be the star of the team presentation, the initial time trial and the finish-line for the second stage, that will begin in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, capital of the Province of North Brabant. The third stage will cover said province with the departure and finish-line both located in the city of Breda.
The Dutch municipalities of Breda, ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Utrecht, as well as the province of the same name and neighbouring North Brabant, are thrilled to take up this project again. La Vuelta thus celebrates an Official Departure from the Netherlands again, thirteen years after the last time the race’s peloton passed through Dutch territory.
A NEW OFFICIAL DEPARTURE FROM THE NETHERLANDS, 13 YEARS LATER
The Director of La Vuelta, Javier Guillén, expressed his enthusiasm for the Official Departure of La Vuelta 22. “To return to the Netherlands, which is the quintessential cycling nation, is something we’ve been wanting to do for a very long time. Holland is a guarantee for success in terms of organisation and I have no doubt that, despite the complexity of the current situation, we will be able to carry out the event safely and successfully”. “In 2020 we were forced to make a decision that we never wanted to make, but which we were compelled to make given the circumstances. Despite everything, the Netherlands’ commitment and wish to host La Vuelta hasn’t changed a bit since then. It’s a pleasure for us to work with institutions that are so committed and that love cycling as much as they do”, he explained.
The 2022 edition will be the second edition of La Vuelta to take off from the Netherlands, after Assen 2009, and the fourth to take off from abroad, after Lisbon 1987, Assen 2009 and Nîmes 2017. The city of Utrecht will act as the local coordinator. Both Utrecht and the Province of North Brabant have vast experience hosting large sporting events in general, and cycling events in particular.
The official departure of La Vuelta 22 is even more special, if that’s possible, due to the close historical links between Spain and the Netherlands, and the current common projection they both have in terms environmental protection and sustainability policies. Both of these criteria are, undoubtedly, decisive when it comes to organising the official departure in Holland.
A COMMON PROJECT
The Official Departure of La Vuelta 22 is the fruit of an intense and continuous process carried out by all the relevant institutions. Besides guaranteeing the reception and organisation of an elite sporting event, such as the launch of the Spanish tour’s 77th edition, the organising committee of ‘La Vuelta Holanda’ and all its partners work together to create an extensive festive and sports activity program that will surround the peloton of La Vuelta 22 in its Official Departure from the Netherlands.
The five municipalities and provincial institutions involved have joined forces to fulfil this project and will continue to work together in order to bring it to life. The private sector will also be closely linked to the event’s financing and will formally request a state subsidy from the Dutch Government’s Ministry of Health, Wellbeing and Sports.
Stages 1, 2 and 3
