La Vuelta promoter Unipublic eyes new territories and sports

Javier Guillén, general director of Unipublic, the organiser of road cycling's Vuelta a España, has revealed the organisation's plans to expand its reach into other countries and sports in the coming years. 

Besides La Vuelta, Unipublic organises three cycling tours in Spain that are sponsored by Spanish telecoms operator Movistar, the Lagos de Covadonga, El Acebo and Puertos de Guadarrama. It also organises the women’s Certizit Challenge by La Vuelta, which is raced alongside the last stage of the grand tour.

Speaking to Spanish sports business website 2Playbook, Guillén, who has led the company since 2008, said Unipublic would look to organise cycling races internationally, with Latin America and Colombia as the first stop in its medium-term plans.

He said: “The great fans of cycling worldwide are there [Colombia]. It would be the best country to start with.”

He said the company, which is owned by Amaury Sports Organisation, organiser of the Tour de France, would also look into expanding into other sports in Spain, adding: “Our main job is professional cycling, but what we are is a promoter of outdoor sporting events … if tomorrow there are opportunities in popular athletics races, a half marathon there is the possibility of thinking about a new career format in Spain.”

Four years after its founding in 1975, Unipublic assumed responsibility for organising La Vuelta, with ASO acquiring the company in 2013.