Investing in young people, creating awareness on the road and taking advantage of the country’s natural resources are some of Andrey Amador‘s dreams for Costa Rica to stand out as a benchmark country worldwide.
The Team Ineos rider spoke about the Andrey Amador Gran Fondo that will take place on February 13th, departing from Paseo Colón and arriving in Orotina and Quepos, traveling along Route 27, which will be closed only to cyclists.
Great stars of world sport will participate in the event, such as Richard Carapaz, Olympic champion, Alberto Contador, winner of the Big Three (Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España).
Below is an excerpt from some of the comments of the national cycling star:
What is the economic and social impact that the Andrey Amador Gran Fondo can have for the country?
First, a country with sports is the best investment, health is favored, expenses on medical issues are reduced, in social matters power sharing and in tourism, it is nice to see how such an affected sector benefits hotel owners have called me in Quepos telling me that for February they are at full capacity for the event, families go and enjoy.
What message do you want to give about the alliance with Aconvivir and the “Compartamos la Vía” campaign?
Aconvivir is a non-profit association that has become fully involved, you have to be aware that it is not ideal to go in single file, it is more fun in a group activity but it is best to go up to the Irazú at 5:30 in the morning, which can be done perfectly as a couple, otherwise single file, even if we don’t like it. Also car drivers understand that we have to share the road, there is no rivalry, we cannot go on the grass, there must be respect from both parties, the best thing is to generate harmony.
Can Costa Rica be a world high performance or preseason center for cyclists in the region?
Of course, a mirror for us is Colombia, we have nothing to envy in terms of terrain or climate, we can even have better climate, altitude, and the quality of cyclists. Costa Rica has all the tools, climate and roads to make the sport grow, I think there is plenty of talent, but support is lacking.
Yes, support is necessary, sending young people abroad and training them?
We can be that reference, it happened to me in Spain that everyone knows about Costa Rica, without underestimating the others, they say it is beautiful, they like it, that they are going to come or they have already come, it could well be a place where teams or national teams from other countries come to train, but there is a lack of support and infrastructure.
