The fourth edition of Granfondo Serra D'Ossa takes place on October 4th, crossing five municipalities in Alentejo: Alandroal, Vila Viçosa, Borba, Estremoz and Redondo. The event presentation took place on September 10th at Alandroal Castle, revealing three available routes: the Granfondo with 143.9 kilometres, the Mediofondo with 108.3 kilometres and the Minifondo with 60.8 kilometres. The organization expects around 1,700 participants.
Inácio Esperança, Mayor of Vila Viçosa, considered the event as an "engine of tourism and economy" for the region. The mayor explained that the previous edition brought 1,500 athletes, which represented at least 3,500 people in the territory, filling the hotels and restaurants not only in the five municipalities involved but also in neighboring municipalities.
The mayor of Vila Viçosa highlighted that the success of the race results from the coordination among the five municipalities, which together can meet the demand. However, he acknowledged that there is a lack of hotel capacity, a problem that Vila Viçosa is working to resolve by increasing the number of available beds.
Inácio Esperança also emphasized that tourism and cycling sports are increasingly fashionable, and that promoting the municipalities through this event is very important to attract people to the Alentejo territory.
