The Vuelta a España made history in the history of cycling. Of course, in such a strange and unconventional way that it also allowed it to be a turning point in the history of commercial marketing. Like? Starting a career in a supermarket. Really. The sixth stage of the competition started from the Carrefour aisles, where the inhabitants of Jerez usually go to do their weekly shopping. The most curious thing is that it fits perfectly into the picturesque history of the Vuelta, allowing us to see cyclists in strange places such as an aircraft carrier, an amphitheatre or a Galician casino.

A long tradition of cycling… and random destinations.

Frozen food aisle… and cyclists. The sight is certainly intriguing. The sixth stage of the Vuelta started today in a place that previously had little or nothing to do with cycling: the Carrefour Jerez Sur hypermarket.

Inside the store, cyclists pedaled past posters for the French company, shelves filled with milk cartons, boxes of cookies, ice cream freezers and other items you might expect to find in a supermarket, along with scores of reporters, technical staff and Carrefour employees stationed on either side of the aisle where cyclists were concentrated.

Why is this? Because Carrefour has a clear weight in the competition; the hypermarket chain itself was responsible for reminding us of this a few days ago when it announced that its Jerez location would be the starting point of the Vuelta.

The French company recalls that it has been the “main sponsor” for over ten years and is the “sponsor of the traditional and famous red jersey” worn by the leader of the general classification. It announced that more than 400 employees will be involved in the preparations to clarify the importance given to the start of the stage.

Strange yes, but not that strange.It’s not often you see professional cyclists pedaling among milk cartons and yoghurt packets, but the image is less shocking when we talk about the Vuelta a España, a competition organised by Unipublic.

This is because, no matter how much Carrefour insists that today is “historical”, the truth is that the Vuelta a España has already accustomed us to seeing its athletes sweat in the most exciting places. And the phrase can again be taken literally. Over the last few years, bikes have been used in places that have nothing to do with professional cycling, such as cathedrals, amphitheatres, football stadiums and even salt flats.

Cathedrals and stadiums? And more. Much more. In August 2013, the Vuelta left nothing more and nothing less than a gamble in Vilanova de Arousa, in 2014 it did so from a Navy aircraft carrier in Cádiz, in 2017 it passed through the amphitheatre of Nimes, in 2019 cyclists pedaled through the salt mountains of Lagunas de la Mata and Torrevieja Natural Park, in 2021 they visited the cathedral of Burgos and in 2022 the cathedral of Breda. The list goes on, with equally beautiful destinations such as the San Mamés stadium, the Bernabéu or the DYC Distillery.

Purpose: to differentiateThe choice of picturesque locations allows the Vuelta a España to differentiate itself from the other two major European cycling events that today have a much greater impact: the Italian Giro and the Tour de France.

For years, and especially for fifteen years, he has been looking for ways to stand out with original proposals, final walls and commercial agreements that have left images as intriguing as this morning on his routes, and has already attracted the attention of foreign media: a professional cyclist who started from inside a hypermarket, a decision that recalls the time when El Pozo started racing in the Alhama de Murcia facilities.

Champion of virality. Cyclists pedaling through the aisles of Carrefour is not the only or first viral image that the Vuelta has left this summer. Cristian Venturas, the waiter who made popular on TikTok with his famous phrase “excuse me, have a nice day”, and who saw locals and foreigners in the competition in amazement, has done it before. Especially their own.

On the fourth stage, he surprised the winner of the stage, Slovenian Primoz Roglic, by offering him a glass of water without telling him in advance. Countless proof that the Vuelta is not only a sporting event but also a spectacle.

Pictures | Carrefour Spain (X)

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