This Saturday afternoon became the great ally of the Vuelta Playa Blanca Handbike show, which this 2023, in its thirteenth edition, placed on the top of the podium not one, not two, not three winners, but the entire peloton of the leading European adapted sport event, forty women and men who felt the unanimous recognition of the fans of southern Lanzarote, who with their affection and human warmth valued not only the exhibition of skill and speed of the handbikers, reaching speeds of up to 55 kilometers per hour on the Avenida Papagayo straight, but also the spirit of overcoming and the mental strength of these sports gregarians who govern their bikes with their upper limbs.
The mayor of Yaiza, Óscar Noda, highlighted at the awards ceremony “the municipality's determined support for sports, in this case positioning the Vuelta Playa Blanca Handbike every year, which we intend to continue projecting internationally, although the most important thing is to raise awareness in society, and with facts, that adapted and inclusive sports are possible and that public administrations can commit more to people with disabilities; commit in sports, in social care and in daily management actions such as the execution of accessibility works.”
Ángel Lago, Councilor for Sports of Yaiza, also highlighted “the contribution of the Handbike Playa Blanca to the local economy as a sporting and tourist event. Weeks before the day of competition, we see the handbikers riding on our roads, which implies expenses in accommodation for days, taxi rides, meals and other tourist services that Playa Blanca is able to offer, apart from the good climate that is another of our assets as a quality destination.”
The prologue, Las Salinas Race, between Salinas de Janubio and Playa Blanca, was held on Friday afternoon and was attended by 36 competitors. The paracyclists completed a demanding individual time trial of 7.5 km.
On Saturday, in the main event, the athletes faced the Vuelta a Playa Blanca, on a 2.2-kilometer course through the central streets of the town. For 55 minutes, the handbikers gave their all in their goal of completing the highest number of laps possible and, thus, achieve the necessary score to qualify in the honor roll of the podium.
The participants enjoyed the support of passers-by and enthusiastic spectators, who encouraged them with applause and cheers throughout the race. The classifications by categories can be consulted at yaiza.es or cronolinecanarias.com The head of the Association for the Promotion of Tourism and Sport without Barriers, José Ángel Vázquez, highlighted the coordination between the different entities committed to the event “which we finished without incidents.”
The Vuelta Handbike Playa Blanca is organized by the Yaiza City Council, the Association for the Promotion of Tourism and Sport without Barriers and the Lanzarote Association without Barriers for People with Disabilities; and is part of a commitment to the inclusion and integration of a great sports offer, which the municipality of Yaiza has been supporting for more than ten years.
One of the most beloved and applauded handbikers was the Belgian Jonas Van de Steene, winner in the H4 category, an elite athlete who a few years ago came to train and compete in Playa Blanca and stayed to live in the south of Lanzarote, says that “it is the ideal place to enjoy sports at any level.”
The organizing entities publicly thank the support of the fans and the collaboration of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, through the European Sport Destination brand, and the companies H10 Hoteles, Relaxia Resorts, San Vicente Clínica, Fundación Martínez Hermanos and Acttiv, a union of efforts that helps to make adapted sports visible in our society. The mayor of Yaiza values the work of the municipal staff, the Yaiza Local Police and the collaboration of the volunteers of the Yaiza Civil Protection Group, as well as the performance of all the security and emergency forces.