A motivated U23 structure of the Fundación Contador does not miss the revival of the mythical Vuelta a Extremadura

26º Vuelta a Extremadura
From 24 to 26 September

In other years, the elite and U23 season in terms of stage races practically came to an end in Galicia. In 2021, however, the rebirth of one of the historic races of the national amateur scene brings three days of cycling that promise to be exciting. The Vuelta Ciclista a Extremadura is back, and that in itself is magnificent news.

The Extremadura round does not return with the same strength as in previous editions, when it was held over five, six or even seven stages. But it is back. It is rising from the ashes with a vocation for continuity and good prospects for the future. The passage of the Vuelta 2021 through Extremadura and the discovery of the Villuercas Peak (a recurring finish, by the way, of the Vuelta a Extremadura in the decade of the 90s of the 20th century in both online and time trial stages) has revitalised cycling in the Region; and especially at the institutional level, always fundamental in the maintenance and promotion of competitive cycling activity due to the particularities of this sport.

For this 2021, on interesting dates at the end of September (an original project for this revival, also over three stages, was initially planned for May 2020, unfeasible due to the epidemiological situation at the time), the Vuelta a Extremadura will take place over three stages: one entirely on Badajoz soil, another straddling the provinces of Badajoz and Cáceres and a final stage entirely in Cáceres.

The format of the proposals is also in crescendo. An initial stage with a first part that is much more demanding than the profile reflects, with the broken orography of the regions of Tentudía and Sierra-Suroeste to reach the Llanos de Olivenza, where the wind sometimes blows. A second one with a spicy intermediate stage in the Sierra de Montánchez and a hilly finish, with medieval cobblestones in narrow streets (Calle Ballesteros, Plaza de Santiago, Calle Alhamar), in the citadel of Trujillo, the Mecca of one of the most traditional races in the Extremadura calendar. And a third, undoubtedly the queen stage, in which the peloton will have to manage the long Puerto de Piornal (more than 17 km with a deceptive average gradient of 4.4%) and the no less demanding Cabezabellosa (10.5 km at an average gradient of 4.8% at an altitude of 938 metres) before tackling the not easy terrain to Hervás, the town that still organises the doyen of the regional calendar.

And in each and every one of the stages, there is a lot of beauty. Landscape, with the endless pastures of the south, the irrigated lands of the Guadiana, the exuberance of the Monfragüe National Park or the solemnity of the Sistema Central Cacereño, the picturesque landscapes of La Vera and Ambroz or, more fleeting in their passage, those of the Jerte. And monumental and historical, in towns of great beauty and rich heritage such as Olivenza, Portuguese until 1801 and with a strong Portuguese link in its streets and gastronomy, or Trujillo, a World Heritage Site. Let these lines be allowed to applaud the return of a race that has been sorely missed in the calendar.

For the U23 structure of the Contador Foundation to be able to take part in this race is an even more special incentive if possible because of the Extremadura roots of the Contador Velasco family, in the town of Barcarrota (the first stage runs very close to this town). And in a very good sporting moment, with a Álex Martín who comes from winning the Volta a Galicia a few days ago and with a Vicente Hernaiz who has competed as stagiaire with the EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team in two Italian races. Edu Pérez-Landaluce, Yago Segovia and Javi Serrano also arrive with an excellent pedal stroke after their fundamental participation in Galicia. Alejandro Luna and David Martín complete the seven that Rafa Díaz Justo proposes for the rebirth of the Vuelta a Extremadura.

The stages.
24 September: Monesterio-Olivenza (131 km).

25th September: Montijo – Trujillo (142 km).

26 September: Villarreal de San Carlos – Hervás (144 km).