A total of 1993 cyclists will participate next Saturday, the 19th, in the climb to Torre, the highest point of mainland Portugal, to help sports journalist and Eurosport commentator Olivier Bonamici fulfill a bet made in July last year. Olivier bet with commentators Paulo Martins and José Azevedo that Belgian Remco Evenepoel would win the Tour de France. Since Evenepoel dropped out and Slovenian Tadej Pogacar won, Olivier has to climb to Torre by bicycle. The 1993 available spots for the non-competitive climb sold out in less than 48 hours.
The number 1993, which gives the festival and the spots their name, refers to the meters of altitude of Torre. The Covilhã City Council used Olivier's bet to promote the first edition of "1993 - Serra da Estrela Cycling Tourism Festival", which runs from Friday, the 18th, to Sunday, the 20th. The festival includes various activities such as cycling brand exhibitions, book presentations, cycling discussions and musical entertainment.
Olivier Bonamici, of French origin and living in Portugal for 30 years, revealed that when he made the bet he weighed 123 kilos and was obese. Since then, he has already lost 31 kilos and guarantees that he has trained to be able to fulfill the promise. The 54-year-old commentator acknowledged that he is not a bicycle specialist, but stated that he would manage to climb, "even if it's on foot or on his knees".
The mayor of Covilhã, Hélio Fazendeiro, highlighted that the event is aimed at all audiences, not just professional athletes, and intends to promote healthy lifestyle habits, the territory and Serra da Estrela. On Sunday, the festival continues with Social Rides, proposing three ways to discover the region: road cycling, mountain biking and eBike.
