La Purito Andorra – Andbank Grand Prix 2025 officially presented, with Alejandro Valverde confirmed as special guest

ESCALDES-ENGORDANY, 16 June 2025

La Purito Andorra – Andbank Grand Prix 2025, the most prestigious amateur cycling event in the Principality—and one of the toughest in Europe—was officially presented today. The event took place at Andbank’s headquarters and was attended by the Minister of Tourism and Commerce, Mr Jordi Torres; Andbank’s Head of Private Banking, José Luis Martí; Joaquim “Purito” Rodríguez; the race’s Technical Director, Pepe Cuevas; and other authorities and invited guests.

The country’s best-known cycling tour will take place on 3 August, marking its 9th edition. The event’s main challenge is undoubtedly the ascent of six mountain passes along the route (La Rabassa–La Peguera, Coll de la Gallina, La Comella, Collada de Beixalís, Coll de Ordino, and Cortals d’Encamp), covering 115 kilometres and 4,800 metres of elevation gain. This edition will follow the same route as last year for the longest-distance category.

The start will once again take place in Sant Julià de Lòria, and the finish will be at Cortals d’Encamp, while the post-race celebration will be held at the Encamp Sports and Sociocultural Complex.

On Saturday, 2 August, Encamp will once again host the Purito Kids children’s cycling event, held in Parc de la Osa. At the same time, in Sant Julià de Lòria, the Bicycle Fair will take place in Plaça de la Germandat, where race numbers will be distributed throughout the day at the Casa Comuna.

This year’s special guest was also confirmed: Alejandro Valverde, the former cyclist from Murcia and the most decorated Spanish rider in terms of victories. His achievements include: Vuelta a España, World Road Race Champion, four editions of Liège–Bastogne–Liège, five wins at La Flèche Wallonne, three Volta a Catalunya titles, stage wins in the Vuelta, Giro and Tour, two Critérium du Dauphiné titles, and a total of 130 career victories.

At the presentation, race organiser Joaquim “Purito” Rodríguez stated:
“We’re thrilled to have participants from 21 countries across 4 continents, and today we reached 2,000 registrations, meaning we’re now fully booked nearly two months ahead of the event. We’re really looking forward to the weekend of 2–3 August.”

Purito added that “the work we’ve done over the years is helping to put Andorra on the map as a cyclist’s country”. He also spoke about the spirit of the event, which began in 2015 with a festive, non-competitive atmosphere, encouraging people to enjoy the mountain passes and discover Andorra throughout the week—an event where everyone finishes tired but deeply satisfied to have completed the challenge.
For his part, the Minister of Tourism and Commerce, Jordi Torres, explained that La Purito Andorra – Andbank Grand Prix is now one of the flagship events in the cycling world, helping to strengthen the Principality’s position as a mountain and sports destination. He also shared data from the 2024 edition: 57% of participants had already taken part in previous editions, and 45% said they would definitely return—which is one of the reasons why the event reaches full capacity earlier each year.

Finally, José Luis Martí, Director of Domestic Private Banking at Andbank, stated:
“Once again, we’ll enjoy a major cycling event in Andorra, and we’re proud to continue supporting it.” He added that La Purito Andorra – Andbank Grand Prix “has now firmly established itself as one of the top events in the country”, and congratulated the organising team for their excellent work.