Pontevedresa produced the spectacular glass track for the opening of the Vuelta a España 2013

09-10-2013

A real challenge for the world of glass. A grand start for the Vuelta a España cycling race around Spain after an exceptional opening stage. This is the first time that a competition of this kind has kicked off from a large batea (a floating wooden platform traditionally used for shellfish farming), moored off the quay in the town of Vilanova de Arousa, in Pontevedra.

Cambados-based businessman Jose Luis Núñez created a project for a spectacular glass track, commissioned by Unipublic, the company organizing the Vuelta. Several firms managed by Núñez participated in the project, carrying out the works and coordinating licences (Servicio de Automatismo y Metal S.L), calculating the tides and coordinating maritime navigation aids (Astilleros Polináutica S.L), and organizing transport and maritime safety (Ruta Rías Baixas–Taximar).

The company chosen to manufacture the glass was Pontevedresa. The I+D department of Cristal Pontevedresa provided a special version of their laminated glass, Lamidur®, which is known for its outstanding qualities of safety, reliability and versatility.

The 640 m² of glass track enabled the cyclists to ride over the waters of the Rías Baixas, affording them a totally unique perspective from the sea. The glass track was built on a two-part fixed and movable platform, to allow for a 4.5-metre difference in water levels between high and low tide. High tide aligned both sections of the platform and was, in fact, the moment chosen for the beginning of the Vuelta a España race.

“Pontevedresa is extremely proud to have participated in such a remarkable project. To be chosen to manufacture the glass for the first few metres of the race was a real challenge, not only because of the importance of the occasion but because of the demands involved in the project itself. We had to produce a special version of Lamidur® glass that complied with all the specifications of safety, reliability and versatility required for such an exceptional glass platform”, explained Francisco Barbeito, manager of Pontevedresa.