The Vuelta Junior Cofidis reinforces child formation with Alberto Contador Foundation

The road safety and healthy habits education programme promoted by Cofidis, which in 9 years has already trained more than 225,000 children, incorporates the Alberto Contador Foundation. In addition, a campaign on bicycle circulation, endorsed by the DGT and starring Luis Ángel Maté, is presented.

The Vuelta Junior Cofidis 2019 has been presented to the public this noon, in the Samaranch hall of the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD) and in the presence, among others, of the expro rider Alberto Contador.

As well as revealing the stages of the Vuelta Junior Cofidis as it does every year, the presentation ceremony also revealed the agreement with the Alberto Contador Foundation and a communication campaign on cycling supported by the DGT and starring cyclist Luis Angel Maté.

The foundation of the Pinto exciclist adheres to the project promoted by Cofidis to raise awareness of stroke and its prevention factors in the Cycling Classrooms. In addition, the foundation will be able to attract talent among the participating schoolchildren for their cycling school. Alberto Contador has described the work of the Vuelta Junior Cofidis as “very necessary”, and added that “to see the children know and enjoy the bike and learn road education is a wonder. It should be an almost compulsory subject”. As announced at the event, the winner of the Tour de France, the Vuelta and the Giro d’Italia, among many other triumphs of a legendary race, will also collaborate in a personal capacity, participating in a stage of the Vuelta Junior Cofidis.

The firm commitment to the training and education of the Vuelta Junior Cofidis is completed with the launch of a communication campaign backed by the DGT and with cyclist Luis Ángel Maté as the protagonist. The aim of this campaign is to encourage responsible cycling and to instil basic road safety concepts in the youngest cyclists.

Also present at the event were Juan Sitges, general manager of Cofidis España; Javier Guillén, director of La Vuelta; Alfonso Jiménez, general manager of the Fundación Deporte Joven; María Lidón Lozano, deputy general manager of Road Training and Education at the DGT; and José Luis de Santos, president of the ACP.

Juan Sitges recalled that “in Cofidis we promote numerous initiatives in cycling and the Vuelta Junior Cofidis is one of the most satisfying for us”. The general manager of the financial company thanked the other entities for their involvement and valued the programme as “a fantastic idea”.

“Train children and encourage safe and responsible cycling are two objectives that, from the Directorate General of Traffic, we understand as fundamental, hence our collaboration in the project and in this innovative campaign,” said Maria Lidón Lozano.

For his part, Alfonso Jiménez said that “projects like this are what make us proud. From the Fundación Deporte Joven, we support the Vuelta Junior Cofidis because it fulfills some objectives that we understand deserve to be promoted and fostered.

“To see the children reach the finish line in each stage of the Vuelta Junior Cofidis is one of the favourite moments of anyone who works in the Vuelta”, said Javier Guillén, alluding to the 150 schoolchildren who cover the last kilometre of the stages of the great event. This year the participating cities are Alicante Torrevieja, Calpe and Alicante, El Puig (Valencia), Igualada (Barcelona), Bilbao (Biscay), Oviedo (Asturias), Guadalajara, Toledo and Madrid.

The Vuelta Junior Cofidis is a program to promote the use of bicycles and healthy habits and road safety education promoted by the financial institution since 2011, which has already trained more than 225,000 children throughout Spain. Together with Cofidis, the CSD’s Youth Sports Foundation (FDJ), La Vuelta, the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) and the Association of Professional Cyclists (ACP), as well as the Alberto Contador Foundation, which joins this year, form part of the same.

📸 PhotoGómezSport