La Vuelta Holanda 2020: 1St Stage Utrecht-Utrecht 8
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PRESS BROCHURE 14-16 AUGUST 2020 “TIME FOR A NEW CHAPTER IN OUR LA VUELTA HISTORY.” The best riders in the world are returning once again to the Netherlands and that makes me very happy! We all start cycling as a child here in the Netherlands, but the way the country reacts to this event is truly unique. All those fellow countrymen in the city and along the roads, is a great experience for the riders to have and enjoy. It gives a huge boost and ensures that the next generation is also inspired by our beautiful sport. La Vuelta itself also brings up special memories. It was my first overall victory in a grand tour. One year later I won the Tour de France, but La Vuelta will always be my first one. With the fantastic current generation of Dutch riders, it’s time for a new chapter in the Dutch La Vuelta history. I think it’s time for a successor and how great it would be if that happens in 2020. Then we would start and end on a Dutch note! Joop Zoetemelk Winner of La Vuelta a España 1979 TABLE OF CONTENT Netherlands: ready for a bike fiesta! 4 La Vuelta and the Netherlands: forever bonded 6 La Vuelta Holanda 2020: 1st Stage Utrecht-Utrecht 8 La Vuelta Holanda 2020: 2nd Stage ’s-Hertogenbosch-Utrecht 9 La Vuelta Holanda 2020: 3rd Stage Breda-Breda 10 Province of Utrecht: attractive cycling region 12 Province of Noord-Brabant: the longest cycling route 17 network in the Netherlands Utrecht: bustling cycling city 20 ’s-Hertogenbosch: trendsetting innovative 25 Breda: royal ‘roots’ surrounded by beautiful green 28 Epilogue La Vuelta Director Javier Guillén 32 THE NETHERLANDS: READY FOR A BIKE FIESTA! Welcome to the Netherlands! The land of Van Gogh and Tiësto, windmills and Delta Works, of tulips and clogs and of Delft Blue and cheese. But also the country that is characterized by its knowledge and innovations. Yet we are foremost the country known for our unique cycling culture. We have more bicycles than inhabitants, the largest underground bicycle parking facilities in the world and do more than a quarter of our trips by bicycle. The Netherlands is ready to place the bicycle in the international spotlight again in 2020. With more than 400 kilometres - divided over three stages through the beautiful Dutch landscape - the Netherlands will colour red for three days during the start of La Vuelta a España. We are ready for a fiesta roja! MILLION KILOMETRES BILLION CYCLING KILOMETRES 23 BICYCLES 35.000 BICYCLE PATH 15 EVERY YEAR 4 5 LA VUELTA AND THE NETHERLANDS: FOREVER BONDED Statistics show how much passion there is for cycling in the Netherlands. No other country has organized a start of one of the three major cycling tours outside its original country more often than the Netherlands. With La Vuelta Holanda 2020 it will be the eleventh time that the peloton races through the Dutch polders. The Spanish La Vuelta does not often start abroad (three times before). In 1997, the first start outside Spain was in Portugal. La Vuelta has started here before, in our small country that has no mountains, back in 2009. Back then, La Vuelta a España started with a time trial on the TT-circuit of Assen. Spartacus, Fabian Cancellara was the fastest: he covered the 4.8 kilometers in 5 minutes and 20 seconds. Cycling fans still have vivid memories of this race. The Netherlands also has a rich history in the competition of La Vuelta. The Netherlands is fifth on the STAGE VICTORIES list of countries with the most stage wins in La Vuelta 110 a España: 110 times a Dutchman has won a stage and crossed the finish line being first. We also won the overall classification twice with Jan Janssen in 1967 and later DIFFERENT DUTCH on with Joop Zoetemelk in 1979. 265 PARTICIPANTS TH EDITION OF LA VUELTA A ESPAÑA IN 2020 6 75 7 LA VUELTA HOLANDA 2020: 14 AUGUST - 1ST STAGE UTRECHT-UTRECHT 1st Stage: Utrecht-Utrecht Friday 14 august \ 23,7 km \ Team Time Trial Thursday, Team presentation Vredenburg “Like the Giro (2010) and the Tour (2015) the route of La Vuelta will pass through a substantial part of our city. It’s going to be an amazing and a memorable event once again.” - Jan van Zanen, mayor of Utrecht City centre \ South-West \ City centre \ East \ North-East \ Overvecht \ North-West \ West \ Leidsche Rijn \ Vleuten - De Meern \ Leidsche Rijn \ West \ City centre 8 LA VUELTA HOLANDA 2020: 15 AUGUST - 2ND STAGE ‘S-HERTOGENBOSH-UTRECHT “We will welcome our Spanish 2nd Stage: ‘s-Hertogenbosch-Utrecht and (inter)national guests, the Saturday 15 august \ 183 km \ Flat stage cyclists and all fans with open arms and let them experience the hospitality and conviviality of Brabant that characterizes our city.” - Jack Mikkers, mayor of ‘s-Hertogenbosch ‘s-Hertogenbosch \ Heusden \ Altena \ Zaltbommel \ Maasdriel \ West Maas en Waal \ Neder-Betuwe \ Buren \ Rhenen \ Utrechtse Heuvelrug \ Renswoude \ Scherpenzeel \ Woudenberg \ Utrechtse Heuvelrug \ Leusden \ Amersfoort \ Soest \ Zeist \ De Bilt \ Utrecht 9 LA VUELTA HOLANDA 2020: 16 AUGUST - 3RD STAGE BREDA-BREDA 3rd Stage: Breda-Breda Sunday 16 august \ 194 km \ Flatstage “For our city organizing a stage of La Vuelta 2020 is a dream come true.” - Paul Depla, mayor of Breda Breda \ Alphen Chaam \ Baarle-Nassau \ Alphen Chaam \ Gilze en Rijen \ Dongen \ Oosterhout \ Drimmelen \ Moerdijk \ Halderberge \ Steenbergen \ Bergen op Zoom \ Woensdrecht \ Roosendaal \ Rucphen \ Etten-Leur \ Breda 10 “Cycling in your own country in front of your home crowd is a truly unique experience.” - Tom Dumoulin “It’s a special feeling that the second stage of La Vuelta 2020 will start in my former hometown ‘s-Hertogenbosch.” - Steven Kruijswijk “I still cherish my victory in La Vuelta a España. Great that this grand tour will come back to the Netherlands in 2020.” - Jan Janssen “In 2015 I almost became deaf by the sound of our Dutch fans cheering along the race. I still get goose bumps when I think about it.” - Wilco Kelderman 11 PROVINCE OF UTRECHT: AN ATTRACTIVE CYCLING REGION The province of Utrecht is an attractive cycling region with 1800 km of bicycle paths and lots of vegetation! It is no coincidence HECTARES OF that the province of Utrecht is number 1 in the list of the most 20.000 NATURE RESERVE kilometres on a bicycle per year per inhabitant. The province has been encouraging the use of bicycles for years and that hasn’t been without results. This is not that strange, because cycling in this area is a unique experience: it has beautiful castles, estates MUNICIPALITIES and country estates to cycle past! 17 In addition, this part of the Netherlands is known for its interesting cycling innovations. Through cooperation between companies, research institutes and governments, the region is 11 MUSEUMS increasingly becoming an international cycling knowledge and innovation hub. The province is also known for its know-how economy, thanks to its central location and a high level of expertise. This central location - in the middle of the Netherlands - also makes it one of the provinces through which many Dutch people travel. The road network is the busiest and most used road network in the Netherlands and Utrecht Central Station welcomes even more passengers than Schiphol Airport. 12 13 De Haar Castle The province of Utrecht features an enormous amount of country estates, castles, monuments, visitor centers and museums. 14 A lot of these places are open to the public. Heuvelrug National Park On the Utrechtse Heuvelrug you stand in the largest forest of the Randstad and you have a magnificent view over the river landscape. Here you can walk and cycle through the greenery and past many country estates and castles. 15 16 PROVINCE OF NOORD-BRABANT: THE LONGEST BICYCLE ROUTE NETWORK IN THE NETHERLANDS Noord-Brabant is a province of entrepreneurial spirit, development power and unity. With Brainport setting the new standard in high-tech, the province is at the forefront of innovation. Noord- Brabant is blessed with cities full of character, award-winning theme parks and vibrant events. This beautiful region is known for its Burgundian cosiness and has something to offer to everyone. Furthermore, the Brabant landscape encourages walking, cycling, horseback riding and even more. Beautiful nature reserves and forests are ideal for long walks or relaxing cycling events. With the bicycle route network, which is mapped out throughout the province, you determine the route and distance of your cycle tour. By constructing more fast cycle routes, the use of new forms of signage, smart use of bicycle data, a 3D-printed bicycle bridge, and all kinds of other innovations, Noord-Brabant tries to make cycling even more attractive. 2.537.100 INHABITANTS Besides biking, the sport of cycling also has a rich history in Noord-Brabant. The province has produced many cycling heroes, such as Steven Kruijswijk, Leontien van Moorsel, Marianne Vos KILOMETRES OF BICYCLE and Mathieu Hermans. In addition, Noord-Brabant has about 40 5.000 ROUTE NETWORK cycling associations with over 3,200 Royal Dutch Cycling Union (KNWU) members (27% of the Netherlands). It is therefore no coincidence that in Noord- Brabant (‘s-Hertogenbosch) every OF ALL JOURNEYS year the annual Cycling Gala takes place. ARE MADE BY BIKE 25,7% 17 The Efteling The Efteling is the largest amusement park in the Netherlands, located in the city of Kaatsheuvel in Noord-Brabant. The Efteling 18 was opened as a nature and recreation park in 1951 and is therefore one of the oldest theme parks in the world. The Dunes of Loon and Drunen This area is also known as the ‘Sahara of Brabant’.