Draft:Marcha cicloturista Quebrantahuesos

Climb to Somport in 2007.

Organization

Waiting for the Quebrantahuesos to begin.

The Quebrantahuesos is a cycle tour organized by the Edelweiss Cycling Club of Sabiñánigo with departure and arrival in the same town. It has been held every year since the first edition in 1991. The idea arose after several members of said cycling group participated in La Marmotte in 1988 and 1989, a cycling tour held in the French Alps. What was intended was to do something similar in Spain so that throughout future editions it would be a reference for national cycle tourism. The route passes through several areas of the Aragonese and French Pyrenees, specifically through the Aragón Valley, Aspe Valley, Ossau Valley and Tena Valley. The passes of Somport, Marie Blanche, Portalet and Hoz de Jaca are ascended. Its length is 198 kilometers and the accumulated elevation gain is 3,500 meters, which could be compared to a high mountain stage of the Tour de France or the Vuelta a España.

In 2010 it completed its 20th edition. In 2011, 8,500 cyclists from 24 different countries participated. The massive requests for participation have led to a large part of the numbers being awarded by lottery. More than 1,000 volunteers collaborate in the organization for provisioning and emergency work.

The XXX edition that was to be held in 2020 did not take place due to the global pandemic caused by COVID-19, having to be suspended a few months before. However, a year later and after being postponed to September, it was carried out adopting various security measures for both the participants and the organizers of the test.

Controversies

Due to its popularity, many professional ex-cyclists participate in it, taking the top positions. The fact that many of them have been sanctioned for doping, even participating with their license withdrawn due to sanction - they can participate because it is not an official race - has caused some controversy in recent years. To silence these criticisms, the organization asks these runners not to compete in the march, reaching moments of tension in the middle of the event, even with the intervention of the Civil Guard. Less than 48 hours before the 2022 edition, the Organization announced the cancellation of the test due to the high temperatures expected for those dates. The complaints from the participants were massive because the forecast had been announced for days and other editions had already been held with high temperatures, snow or extreme rain.

Related activities

Start of the Quebrantahuesos.

The Treparriscos Cycle Tour (TR), with 2,500 participants, is considered the little sister of the Quebrantahuesos. Both are celebrated in parallel. Its route is 90 kilometers, with a gradient of 1,500 meters and ascent to Cotefablo. The departure of the TR (07:45) is 30 minutes after the QH (07:15).

Both marches are held on the penultimate Saturday of June.

On those dates, the Quebrantahuesos Cycling Fair is organized in the region. There is an annual tribute to renowned cyclists. A 20th anniversary retrospective exhibition was also organized in 2010.

On Sunday, March 31, 2019, the I XCO Quebrantahuesos was held, a test of the Aragón Open with almost 200 participants in a spectacular circuit around the Santa Lucía hermitage in Sabiñánigo, in whose design the Olympic medalist in Athens collaborated and 4-time world champion of the specialty José Antonio Hermida.

In addition, every year the Miniquebrantahuesos is celebrated in Sabiñánigo on dates close to the festival of San Jorge, which with about 150 boys and girls participating seeks to promote the practice of this sport among the little ones

Bibliography

• Quebrantahuesos. 20 años. Sabiñánigo: Peña Ciclista Edelweiss, 2010. DL HU. 206/2010.

External links

• Página oficial
• Grupo Quebrantahuesos en Facebook
• Peña Ciclista Edelweiss