The traditional race organized by the Corró d’Amunt Cycling Club, which has changed the direction of the circuit due to road construction on BV5151, once again boasts a wide international representation.
The Corró d’Amunt Cycling Club has presented the new edition, now in its 22nd year, of the Catalan International MTB Cup Biking Point Corró d’Amunt Les Franqueses, European Sports Town 2024. An international event in the C2 category that awards UCI points to all participants. This, combined with the fact that it’s an Olympic year, will bring a large number of international riders to Les Franqueses del Vallès.
The president of the Corró d’Amunt Cycling Club, Josep Mauri, explained that the race has changed the direction of the circuit to adapt to the road works on BV5151. “The starts will be completely different, and the circuit will run in the opposite direction (…) It has been a lot of work, but I think we have achieved a very nice circuit.“
These changes are not unwelcome to local riders from the Corró d’Amunt Cycling Club, who were present at Tuesday’s press conference. Mireia Padrós explained that “it’s a circuit that I really like. It’s close to home, and whenever I could, I came to compete. This year will be different, and I think it will be tougher than other years, but surely it will be a lot of fun.” Yandri Sainz also considers it will be a different experience from previous years, but the difficulty of this race lies in the level of the riders. “It’s a race that we try to do every year, mostly because we consider it our home race. You have to have a good level because riders come from everywhere, and they make it very difficult.“
The Corró d’Amunt International Catalan Cup is one of the founding events of the competition, which has remained on the calendar since 2002. For years, it has been the Toni Costa Memorial, and moreover, this 22nd edition is part of the sports events of Les Franqueses, European Sports Town 2024, demonstrating the sporting power of the municipality, as highlighted by the Barcelona delegate of the Catalan Cycling Federation, Ricardo Villar. “Les Franqueses del Vallès is a privileged municipality, at least in terms of sports. Sports-wise, it’s a very active municipality. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was able to attend another international event here in your municipality. This one was a road cycling race organized by another cycling club from Les Franqueses del Vallès. We must emphasize that this benefits Catalan cyclists because they can participate in these top-level races close to home. And they have a better chance of earning UCI points.“
The Sports Councilor, Carlos Munzón, also highlighted the strength of the entities and their work in organizing sports events like the Catalan Cup, stating that “we are facing an international sports event that helps to highlight the importance of sports in our municipality. This event was one of the arguments used to apply for the distinction of European Sports Town 2024. Thanks to this type of event, this year we are the European Sports Town.“
The event was closed by the mayor of Les Franqueses del Vallès, Juan Antonio Corchado, who thanked the collaboration of administrations, companies, and private initiatives as well as all the residents of Corró d’Amunt. He particularly thanked the work of all the volunteers and the people of the Corró d’Amunt Cycling Club. “I want to thank the Corró d’Amunt Cycling Club and especially all the volunteers for all the tireless work you do. This is priceless, and without all of you, absolutely nothing could be done. This is a consolidated club that does great work, and volunteers are essential.“
The 22nd edition of the Catalan International MTB Cup Biking Point Corró d’Amunt Grand Prix Les Franqueses, European Sports Town 2024, will take place on Sunday, March 24, starting at 8 a.m., at the municipal sports area of Corró d’Amunt.
