Mayor Jan van Zanen

The current Mayor of The Hague, H.E. Mayor van Zanen, received on October 15th by the hands of Spanish Ambassador H.E. María Jesús Alonso Jiménez, the prestigious award of The Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: Orden de Isabel la Católica) for his role as former Mayor of Utrecht in bringing the start of the famous Spanish cycling tour “La Vuelta” to Utrecht.

PHOTO VALERIE KUYPERS

TThe start of La Vuelta (the tour of Spain) from Utrecht was due to take place in 2020 but had to be postponed due to the Corona pandemic.

The ‘Vuelta a España’, first organised in 1935, is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries, this is the first time it will start from Utrecht and will also pass by Breda and Den Bosch. Planned date is August 2022.

The Order of Isabella the Catholic is a Spanish civil order in which membership is granted in recognition of services that benefit the country.

His Excellency the Mayor names it “a tremendous honour” and adds “but the merit of bringing this special event to the

Netherlands is not mine alone. I would therefore like to dedicate the award to all those who helped organise the Vuelta, in front of and behind the scenes. In Spain, in the municipalities of Utrecht, Breda and Den

Bosch and the provinces of Utrecht and

North Brabant.”