One of the world’s most prestigious cycling events had the weirdest start ever. La Vuelta a España, which is essentially the Spanish equivalent of the Tour de France started Stage 6 on Thursday inside a supermarket.
Dozens of riders packing the starting line of the bizarre indoor start, weaving around the supermarket before heading out the loading dock and onto the streets.
The idea was to shake up the event with the unconventional start inside a Carrefour supermarket, a major sponsor of the race — and it the photos are unlike anything else we’ve seen in cycling.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25584218/2167897725.jpg)
Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25584220/2167899381.jpg)
Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25584221/2167898917.jpg)
Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images
Was this a weird gimmick? Yes. Does it sacrifice the sanctity of the sport in service of a corporate sponsorship? Also yes. To be fair, the length of races like La Vuelta means that a couple of minutes at the start doesn’t make it a make or break for the stage, but it’s still wild to throw road bikes on the polished floor of a supermarket and just assume everything will be fine.
Luckily this went off without a hitch, but I don’t know if this needs to be a regular thing.
