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Girona hosts the official presentation of Pirinexus (cycling route)
25/03/2013
700 signs, one guide, website and social networks
The presentations given discussed the main tasks that have been carried out along the route and the tools developed for users. Marcel Alofra, project manager, pointed out that a significant proportion of the budget has gone toward signing, with over 700 different kinds of signs having been put up across the route (with directions, giving distances from towns, etc.), all of which share the same image. Essential works have also been carried out, such as improvements to the bridge over the River Ter, the access route to the Coll de Panissars, the widening of the greenway between Hostalnou de Bianya and Llocalou (Garrotxa), and the crossing at the Sirvent (Aiguamolls Natural Park of the Empordà) which will soon be in place.
The representatives of the General Council of the Eastern-Pyrenees, Mr. Jacques Martin, Yves Constant and Olivier Passarius, provided a summary of the actions carried out on French territory with a good part of the stretch showing signs of Roman and Greek remains, thereby illustrating that the routes used today are the same as the ones used 2,000 years ago.
Géraldine Caprani, from Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion, presented a tool that will be of great use for cycle tourists – the new Pirinexus guide published in Catalan, Spanish, French and English – that provides an outline of the route by stages and highlights all points of interest as well as the relevant tourist services along the route. Eurovelo Council member, Jens Erik Larsen, provided an interesting and all-encompassing view of cycle tourism at a European level, showing the viability of investing in cycle tourism.
The last speaker, manager of the Girona Greenways Consortium, Gerard Darnés, presented the new official website of the route: www.pirinexus.cat, currently in the testing phase, where users will be able to check out all the stages of the route as well as additional routes and tourist services. What’s more, the Twitter page of the route has got up and running this week: @pirinexus, and work is also carried out on Facebook and Instagram via the @viesverdesgi profiles and the #viesverdesgi and #pirinexus tabs.
The event was closed by Ms. Marta Madrenas, Deputy Mayor of the Girona City Council, who expressed her gratitude that the city of Girona had been selected for the presentation of this great route that will unite “two territories that have a past in common, and will continue to have a future in common”.
The Girona Greenways Consortium presided over the inauguration ceremony of the Pirinexus route, alongside its partners from the General Council of the Eastern-Pyrenees and the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion, in a presentation that took place at the Palau de Congressos de Girona and was attended by hundreds of people. An explanation was given during the event of the importance of the project and the positive impact that it will have on Catalonia. The cycle touring ring is a route that allows cyclists to circulate along the route without any discontinuities, that links the two territories using sustainable means of transport, and that promotes respect for the environment as well as tourism.
The Pirinexus route offers 353 kilometres of cyclable territory for bike lovers and hikers alike, combining physical exercise in the great outdoors, and in beautiful surroundings, with the added bonus of being able to discover the region visited. Pirinexus passes through 53 towns and 8 different counties in total, and combines stretches of the greenways with other cyclable routes such as rural roads or tracks with low levels of traffic.
