La Vuelta stops by San Mamés

The world of cycling has come to San Mamés once more. La Vuelta, one of the sport's major race, has embraced Athletic Club - which in its early days had a cycling team - for the fourth time in history and the second time since the new stadium was opened.

On Thursday morning, the Bilbao-Pico Jano stage got underway in front of a significant crowd at The Cathedral. To mark the occasion, Club president Jon Uriarte presented La Vuelta's director, Javier Guillén, with an Athletic home strip commemorating the 77th edition of the race.

Athletic Club also made the same gesture to the general director of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme. Next year's edition of 'Le Tour', the 120th in history, will start in Bilbao. Uriarte was accompanied at the event by the Club's vice-secretary Xabi Álvarez and general director Jon Berasategi.

The old San Mamés hosted two stages: one in 1960, which was won by Franz de Mulder, and another two years later, with Rudi Altig taking the victory. In 2019, cycling returned to San Mamés, a La Vuelta stage kicking off with a lap of honour inside the ground.