San Juan has just achieved a more than important milestone in its rich sports history. It is about what happened this Wednesday night when at the Vicente Alejo Chancay velodrome, the International Cycling Union (UCI) -the highest entity worldwide- made this multipurpose sports venue of our province official as the new Satellite Development Center of the UCI, a status that will position San Juan throughout the world and designate it as the benchmark city in South America for the growth of cycling in several interrelated aspects.
Being designated by the UCI as a Cycling Satellite Development Center is -also- being part of a small group of places located in different regions of the world, which are chosen by the entity in those latitudes and neighboring countries, so that cycling can develop as sport, can cover more people, mainly from an early age, in addition to decentralizing Europe to globalize and reach as much territory as possible on the five continents. UCI manages the economic support necessary for the strategic development and maintenance of cycling in each Center.
The authorities present at this emotional act were as follows. On behalf of San Juan, the first president of the province, Dr. Sergio Uñac; provincial lieutenant governor, CPN. Roberto Gattoni; Minister of Public Works and Services, Eng. Julio Ortíz Andino; Minister of Tourism and Culture, Mrs. Claudia Grynszpan; Secretary of Sports, Mr. Jorge Chica; mayor of Pocito, Mr. Armando Sánchez; among others. The international and national visits featured Jacques Landry, Director of Training and Development of the UCI World Cycling Center; Gilles Peruzzi, UCI Track Master; Enrico Della Casa, president of the European Cycling Union; José Manuel Pelaez, president of the Pan American Cycling Confederation; Gabriel Curuchet, president of the International Cycling Union; Marcelo Lanzi, president of the Argentine Federation of Track and Road Cycling; Juan José Chica, president of the Sanjuanina Cycling Federation.
UCI Satellite Development Centers: eight are in force worldwide: with the official designation last night at the velodrome, San Juan (Argentina) joined a select list that already includes the cities of Shuzenji (Japan), as a satellite facility Yeongju (South Korea), Paarl (South Africa), New Delhi (India), Anadia (Portugal), Couva (Trinidad and Tobago) and Bromont (Canada).
UCI Satellite Development Centers: bases to be met for designation: having a track cycling track that achieves excellence in the standards required by the UCI is the first major requirement to be considered a Satellite Development Center. However, the complements that provide added value to the headquarters in its entirety to be considered as such are the following:
Training room and sciences applied to sports: a first-class space equipped with sports biomechanics machines that are used to work on technical aspects with people from childhood (such as the members of the current San Juan cycling schools of the project ‘La bici es mi passion’) to teen and elite cyclists in both branches. This also includes technological machines for the study and monitoring of the cyclist’s oxygen consumption, so that they can know for sure what their minimum and maximum limits of physical performance are; added to platforms for the specific work of jumping and power of the cyclist; in addition to a set of machines similar to a gym.
Workshop rooms for cycling mechanics: spaces conditioned for the technical part regarding the assembly, preparation and maintenance of competition bicycles, the main tool that each cyclist uses for their training and competitions. Outside of the daily work related to this task, there will also be training sessions and talks so that more cycling mechanics can learn more about this and replicate it in their respective cycling teams. The San Juan and Argentine national teams will have their own rooms and there will be more for the American national teams that visit the velodrome.
Areas for conducting clinics: because the attractiveness not only happens on the track, but also in the various spaces where training sessions and talks will be set up for all kinds of people related to cycling, from the athlete himself to coaches, delegates, judges, leaders, among others.
Areas for health coverage: such a sports venue requires dismembering edges related to health and people care. This includes spaces for first aid attention, doping chambers for cyclists, permanent ambulance service, medical assistance to spectators present and teams on the track and the headquarters center. Passive activation in hotels with injured athletes and health coverage in hotels where delegations are staying.
The very gratifying novelty of San Juan as the new UCI Satellite Development Center occurred during the opening ceremony of the Pan American Track Championship – San Juan 2023, the most prestigious sports competition on the continent in this type of cycling.
Yesterday the first day was held and this event – which is being held in the province for the first time – will run in double shifts (morning and afternoon) until next Sunday, June 18.
Source: https://sisanjuan.gob.ar