Celina Carpinteiro, national mountain bike champion and the most respected athlete in cycling today, is the leader of the new women's team in the sport, called «5 Quinas/Municipality of Albufeira» and who will participate in events on the national and international calendar.
The official presentation of the team took place this Thursday, February 18, coinciding with the arrival in Albufeira of the first stage of the Volta ao Algarve.
“We are 13 athletes, from north to south of the country, united by our passion for cycling”, said Celina Carpinteiro, one of the mentors of the project along with Orieta Oliveira.
The former athletes of the Ouribike club, which closed its doors, decided to pedal towards a new challenge and formed «5 Quinas/Municipality of Albufeira». «We are the first team of its kind in the Algarve and
we want to revolutionize women's cycling, giving the deserved visibility to the athletes and to the city of Albufeira», highlighted Orieta Oliveira.
«We aspire to grow as a team and attract many more practitioners, encouraging younger groups to practice the sport», added Celina, national mountain bike champion, two-time national road champion and vice-champion in the time trial.
The team was welcomed by the Areias de São João Sports Club, which now has a Women's Cycling section.
The athletes, who aspire to compete abroad, created a photo calendar, which is on sale for 15 euros, in several stores in Albufeira and on the internet.
For now, the goal is to achieve the best results on the national calendar, which starts in April, with six cup competitions, two championship events, the time trial, the long-distance event and the big funds, which start this Saturday, 21st of February, and have the participation of nine of the 13 athletes.
After the symbolic ascent to the podium of “Algarvia”, the team had its official presentation at the Luna Miramar hotel, in the presence of the various partners and sponsors of the training. «We are witnessing an important moment when we witness the formation of the first female cycling team, which promises to make history in the Algarve, competing in a healthy way, and taking the name of Albufeira to other places», stressed José Carlos Rolo, vice-president of Town hall.
The athletes performed their first two internships in the municipality, taking advantage of this opportunity for a short visit to the Paços do Concelho, where they thanked the support of the mayor Carlos Silva e Sousa.
During the presentation, the president of the Municipal Assembly praised the will and commitment shown by the cyclists in creating the project: «you are proof that if there is will and determination, it is possible to achieve a goal».
Paulo Freitas left a word of encouragement to the athletes, stating that «your determination will be transferred to the competitions and I am sure that you will take Albufeira even further, leaving us with double pride when we see you triumph».
The team has several supporters, including the Municipality of Albufeira, APAL – Albufeira Promotion Agency and Clube Desportivo Areias de São João.
For the president of APAL, "it is an honor to support this project that will certainly contribute to the affirmation of cycling in the region." José Lourenço dos Santos stressed that «we want to help take the name of Albufeira even further and for that we will help the team achieve its goals».
ATHLETES:
Ana Gaspar | 43 years old | MASTER
Ana Rita Vigario | 37 years old | ELITE
Celina Carpenter | 34 years old | ELITE
Filomena Gomes | 45 years old | MASTER
Francielle Crestan | 24 years old | ELITE
Irina Rabbit | 33 years old | ELITE
Liliana Jesus | 31 years old | ELITE
Lisa Torpes | 39 years old | MASTER
Natacha Cross | 17 years old | JUNIOR
Natalia Mendes | 44 years old | MASTER
Orieta Oliveira | 32 years old | MASTER
Rafaela Gula | 14 years old | CADET
Rachel Silva | 14 years old | CADET
Coach:
Valerio Ferreira
Sports Director:
Eurico Goncalves
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