Castellón will become the capital of sport next Sunday with the start of the Castellón Grand Prix – Ruta de la Cerámica

• "We want more events and sporting events like this one that contribute to projecting the image of our city to the whole world and that support economic revitalization, being a stimulus for activities such as hospitality and tourism," highlights the Councilor for Sports, Maica Hurtado.

The Councillor for Sports, Maica Hurtado, together with the director of the Gran Premio Castellón – Ruta de la Cerámica, José Cabedo, and the Chief Commissioner of the Local Police, Francisco Javier Catalán, presented this morning the starting line for the cycling race that will take place in the city of Castellón next Sunday, January 21, from the central platform of the Ribalta Park at 1:00 p.m. The realization of this sporting event, which will travel around the province ending in Onda, has had the involvement of the councillors of Public Services, Mobility and Security.

Hurtado says that “Castellón will become the capital of sport next Sunday with the start of the Ruta de la Cerámica, which brings together the best cyclists in the world.” “City and sport must always go hand in hand to put Castellón at the top. This union is what we are going to try to strengthen so that it is once again recognised as it was in 2012, hosting more than 200 competitions and generating more than 40,000 overnight stays, with an economic impact of more than 6 million euros per year,” he adds.

The various departments of Security, Mobility and Public Services have coordinated a wide-ranging operation to ensure maximum security in the face of the large influx of people expected. There will be 42 officers, including Local Police, mobility agents and auxiliary staff provided by the City Council, a total of 38 circulation points will be covered by Police officers, organisation staff and Urban Mobility Agents and a health unit that will be located in front of the Farola.

For his part, José Cabedo, as director of the Grand Prix – Ruta de la Cerámica, has put the emphasis on the internationalisation of the event, which “will put the capital on the cycling map with this first edition, which we hope will be consolidated”. The director of the sporting event assures that “it will be a dynamic event in which fans will be able to come and greet and take photos with their idols”. 19 teams from a wide world representation are taking part in this race, including cyclists from Australia, Belgium, Holland, France, Italy and Spain.

The fact that this event is taking place in January contributes to the de-seasonalisation of tourism that the government team is seeking, so "we want more events and sporting events like this one that undoubtedly contribute to projecting the image of our city to the whole world and that support economic revitalization, being a stimulus for activities such as hospitality and tourism," says the Councillor for Sports.

The parking lot for the cycling caravan will be located on Avenida Barcelona. There will be a neutralized 3-kilometer start with the following itinerary: Paseo Central del Parque Ribalta – Avda Barcelona – Paseo Ribalta (even numbers) – Plaza de la Independencia – Ronda Magdalena – Teodoro Izquierdo, Avenida Benicàssim – Avda Castell Vell and Camino Romeral, where you will leave the town center in the direction of Borriol.

This start, where cyclists cannot overtake the race director's car and travel at a controlled speed, will allow multitudes of people from the different streets of Castellón to watch the race and the different participating teams from all over the world for this international cycling event.