The EPIC Gran Canaria cycling race will once again feature former Italian cyclist Mario Cipollini on the starting line on 8 and 9 February, in what will be his fourth participation in this event that “has become a tradition”.
The well-known and media-savvy sprinter, with a brilliant professional career between 1989 and 2005, becoming one of the cyclists with the greatest number of victories in his history, has assured that he returns every year because it is for him “a way to reconnect with cycling, with the fans and with myself”, for “the unique atmosphere of the event, the spectacular routes and the opportunity to experience the passion for this sport without the pressure of professional competition”.
Cipollini, who has already won the 2002 World Championships in Zolder and Milan-San Remo in the same year, and is already 35 years old, said that he trains during the year for “the climbs, which are a key feature of the EPIC route” and that he faces them “with the same enthusiasm as in the past”.
That professional “past” of Mario Cipollini placed him at the top of cycling at the time, winning up to 43 stages in the Giro d'Italia, as well as other major tours such as the Tour de France or the Vuelta a España, stages of the Tour of the Mediterranean, the Tirreno-Adriatico, the Tour of Georgia, Qatar, Romandie, the Grand Prix Costa dei Etrusci, the World Road Championship, the Luis Puig Trophy, Monte Carlo-Alassio, Paris-Nice, surpassing 180 victories throughout his professional career.
“The EPIC Gran Canaria is not only a physical challenge, but also a celebration of cycling. The mix of stunning landscapes, challenging routes and impeccable organisation make it unique. It is not just a race, it is an experience that immerses you in the beauty and essence of cycling.” For the Italian cyclist, time trials such as Ayacata or Fataga “are memorable” and “completely different from my past as a sprinter,” but they give him “enormous personal satisfaction” in that “feeling of reaching the top after a long climb” that he has defined as “indescribable.”
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“The EPIC is a challenge, but also an extraordinary journey through some of the most beautiful landscapes you can find. It is not just about timing, but about experiencing cycling in a unique way,” explained the sprinter from Lucca.
He will be arriving at the EPIC Gran Canaria, integrated into the UCI calendar and the Gran Fondo World Tour, to “share this experience with cyclists of all levels” with “the energy of the fans and the atmosphere of coexistence, which makes everything even more exciting.”
“It is an opportunity to inspire others, but also to receive positive energy from people who love cycling like I do,” he said, because, although today “the competition is more with myself, I still like to test myself and overcome my limits” and in this sense, the EPIC is “the perfect balance between personal challenge and pure fun.”
The Italian record holder will share his passion for cycling, which has always “been part of my life and continues to be so” to celebrate in Gran Canaria “sport and to stay connected to what I love and to continue living the magic of cycling”.
The EPIC Gran Canaria RIU Hotels & Resorts is divided into two stages with 115 kilometres and two timed sections, and 75 kilometres and a competitive section for a weekend of international sport. The first stage starts from the Mirador de las Dunas de Maspalomas at the RIU Palace Maspalomas, to take the 500 participants on one of the most privileged routes on the island, passing through Arteara, Fataga, Tirajana and El Pajar to Pasito Blanco.
The first timed section of this stage will be a test of endurance over the 12,3 kilometres at 470 metres of altitude and an average gradient of 4,4% that separates Aqualand and Ayagaures, with the finish line at the Pedro González summit. The second timed climb will serve to decide the podium in a challenge of 45 kilometres and 1.304 metres of altitude, with an average gradient of 4,7% between Pasito Blanco on its climb to Ayacata, passing through Cercados de Espino, Soria, Barranquillo Andrés, the Las Niñas dam to Ayacata.
The second stage is an explosive challenge of 75 kilometres, with a 22-kilometre time trial and 1.304 metres of altitude, and an average gradient of 4,7%, passing through Fataga to Tirajana. The return to the RIU Palace Maspalomas takes in Santa Lucía, La Era, Vecindario, Doctoral and Bahía Feliz, on a route along the GC-65 and GC-500 designed to enjoy the sport, climate and landscapes of the island.
