The tenth edition of the Vuelta a Playa Blanca in Handbike has entered the continental round of this adapted sport discipline, being for the first time a valid event for the European Cup in the two modalities that the south of Lanzarote hosts during the weekend, both the individual time trial that will be held on Friday and the urban circuit scheduled for Saturday.
Eighty 'handbikers' from fourteen nationalities will participate in the sporting event, which this year will also award 8,000 euros in cash prizes. The time trial on Friday is seven kilometers along the well-known old road from the La Hoya roundabout to Ferretería Tías, while the circuit on Saturday is 2.2 kilometers along central streets of Playa Blanca with a greater concentration of public on Avenida Papagayo and Calle Jaime Quesada. On Saturday there will be three races with twelve categories at stake depending on the motor skills of the athletes.
The Yaiza City Council, which states that it has "opportunely" informed about the street closure times, recommends that drivers exercise maximum caution on public roads and again thanks "the understanding of residents and visitors".
Economic impact of the event
Representatives of the organizing and sponsoring entities of the event appeared at the press conference: José Ángel Vázquez and Errol Marklein, president and secretary of the Association for the Promotion of Tourism and Sports without Barriers, respectively; Daniel Medina, Councilor for Sports of the Yaiza City Council; and on behalf of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, the councilors of Tourism Promotion, Ángel Vázquez, and the head of Sports, Lorenzo Reyes. Also present were Seine Snippe, president of the European Handcycling Federation (EHF) and a large group of enthusiastic 'handbikers', including a Brazilian athlete who has come to enjoy the competition.
Daniel Medina highlighted the Yaiza City Council's commitment to this event and the impact it has from the sports and tourism fields "due to the economic impact on the destination". In fact, José Ángel Vázquez pointed out that the 'handbikers' and their companions stay an average of 23 days in Playa Blanca, although some of them usually stay for a good part of the winter.
For his part, the island councilor Ángel Vázquez highlighted the effort of the athletes, thanking them for the promotion they do of Lanzarote with their participation in the Handbike and broadcasting their experiences on the Island. The next European event for 'handbikers' will be in April in France
