During the afternoon of Tuesday, August 18, a press conference was held ahead of the “Vuelta Chapala 2026” cycling race, which covers 232.5 kilometers around Lake Chapala.
The Marketing Director of the cycling event, Tania Núñez, explained the importance of the competition, which will serve as a qualifier for international events.
“It is not an open race, nor is it a mass event. On the contrary, it is a qualifying event in which we receive the profile of each rider and evaluate it to verify that they actually have the ability to complete the entire route.”
Vuelta Chapala will take place on September 26 in the municipality of Chapala, starting at 6:30 a.m. The race will extend through 11 municipalities surrounding the lake, with sections featuring both dirt and cobblestone roads. It will also have four key supply points, located in Tuxcueca, Cojumatlán de Régules in Michoacán, Jamay, and the Mezcala Lookout.
- In addition to these points, the race will also pass through the municipalities of Jocotepec, Tizapán el Alto, Ocotlán, and Poncitlán, as well as the town of San Pedro Cahro and the municipality of Sahuayo in Michoacán.
Núñez also highlighted the competition’s goal of attracting more international cyclists to compete and visit the state.
“This year’s field is made up of people from Mexico, the United States, and Canada, and everyone was selected under the same criteria. This is really not a coincidence.
Vuelta Chapala was designed with this profile so that it can be an international event, allowing us to bring more foreigners every year so they can experience this event and discover all the beauty we have here.”
Meanwhile, Vuelta Chapala’s Operations Director, Héctor Zavala, confirmed that no road closures are planned during the competition.
“I want to be clear because people normally ask me about this. We did not request any road closures; traffic will remain open throughout.
We are not looking to cause problems for anyone. On the contrary, we are not asking for any section to be diverted, we are not asking for freight transportation to be diverted, and we do not want to affect the economic activity of any business.”
The seventh edition of Vuelta Chapala will also have cutoff times, with cyclists being eliminated from the competition if they fail to reach the next checkpoint within the established time. Additionally, Zavala said that the first cyclist is expected to reach the finish line starting at noon, while the race is scheduled to conclude at 4:00 p.m.
Source: udgtv
