Armenia sobre ruedas: 5 oscenses recurren el mundo en bicicleta con Huesca por bandera

You can do sports, tourism and history. It is demonstrated by a group of cycling enthusiasts Huesca que a lo largo de 12 años han tejido The bicicleta que extiende una historia de viajes from Europe, Asia and Africa. Escapadas turísticas que combinen el ciclismo with culture and adventure. This group cinco integrantes-alungque alguna vez son seis-ha recorrido países tan diversos como Marruecos, Turcia, Rumanía or Georgia with the scense capital by bandera luciendo sus maillots del Club Ciclista Oscense o la SD Huesca por el mundo.

Todo conversation between friends and “¿por qué no?” started with Born out of a general passion for the sport, the idea grew until it became an annual tradition. La primera expedición tuvo lugar hace más de una decada por los Pirineos franceses, y desde entonces, han viajado cada mes de octubre a nuevos destinossiempre buscando lugares que no estén sataturados por la masificación del tourism. This year's target, Armenia, is a clear example of this philosophy. “Buscamos países menos conocidos, places where we can discover places with different cultures and away from the most popular tourist spots“, – explains Vicente Puyal, one of the members of the group.

Germán Vidal, Roberto Castan, Joaquín Gracia, José Luis Zabala, José Ramón Castillo and Vicente Puyal, aged between 52 and 60, are members of this group from different points in the province of Huesca, such as Graus or Sabinánigo les une la pasión por el ciclismo. Well done to Club Ciclista Oscenseentita referente en el ciclismo aragonés.

On this occasion, the group traveled through the mountains and valleys of Armenia along a route of about 600 kilometers. “There is nothing, no extremes, nothing,” Puyal noted. The most impressive thing about this appointment was the contrast of reality between the capital Yerevan and the rest of the country. “They are like different movies. The capital is very touristic and the rest of the country is very poor.”. Pueblo que pasábamos contemen coches al borde de la carretera para dispiece y muchos talleres mecánicos”, Cuenta Puyal. “Infrastructure does not have any problems”Comparing the landscape with Albania, one of the places he visited in previous years, the cyclist says: “This is a very poor country, but there are potential tourists. It has a magnificent coast and we see different buildings from here. Not in Armenia.”

Among the sights of this country, which borders Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan, was Mount Ağrı, “the biblical mountain where it is written in the Book of Genesis that Noah's ark was placed after the global flood,” the cyclist explained. Otros de los puntos de interes de la expedition fueron “The beautiful monastery of Noravankuna verdadera joya construida entre los siglos XIII y XIV. Also Khor Virap and Noravank monasteries son, sin duda alguna, dos de las maravillas que no se pueden dejar escapar si se recurre este país,” he added.

Planning these trips is not a simple task. La preparación de las rutas begins months in advance, and even as the group consolidates their dates and destinations, new challenges always arise. “Nos vamos siempre en la semana del Pilar, aprovechando los festivos” they explained that Garik, an Armenian afincado who helped them “con la ruta, que íbamos a encontrar encontrar”, had 9 days in the chosen place. cada zone, las temperatures…” with aim “to join sports and tourism”.

Patient with Bicicletas propias. En cuanto al accommodation,”vamos eligiendo día a día, no vamos con nada cerrado desde Españasave the hotel from the first and last night, because that's what forces you to secure the bike boxes for the return flight,” they said. Una ruta en la que no faltan los sellos a sus origins a través de sus maillots.

Durante is 12 years old pedals France, Morocco, Romania, Cyprus, Sardinia, Portugal, Turkey and Georgiaque dejan numerous anécdotas y choques culles. In 2016, when they attacked “a pack of dogs in a mountain harbor” in the province of Transylvania, Puyal recalls. In Georgia in 2019, the group had to stop the trip the day before the accident of one of its members: vecinos del pequeño pueblo donde nos habíamos quêdaado, nos abrieron sus casas, nos invitaron a té, cafe, pastries, … y nos llevaron todos al hospital junto a las cicis”account.

Aunque han regresado del último viaje hace apenas unas semanas, ya “estamos pensando en el siguiente”, confessesan. It is located in the north of Romania, Cappadocia, Greece or Algeria. Nothing in the context of politics“, he added.