A band of Romans from Aix-en-Provence, disguised precisely to support their vicar Romain Civalero. Others were watching for the runners in the red jerseys of the diocese of Valencia, present in all the races since the first edition of the championship in the year 2000… If some were lucky enough to be accompanied by their fan club, the 60 Competitors, whatever their parish, were supported by a hyper enthusiastic public, ready to applaud and encourage all the cyclists at the top of the Barbegal coast, both at the start and finish of the race.
Yesterday for the first event of the French clergy cycling championship organized in Arles, the athletes almost passed through the drops, while all the other events initially planned (the election of the Queen and the Feast of the Guardians) had been canceled due to very bad weather. We even wondered, a few hours before the start, if the priests and deacons were going to have to suffer the same fate. But “the rain scares neither pilgrims nor cyclists“, affirmed Don Jean-Yves, parish priest of Arles, ensuring that the race would only be canceled in the event of very strong gusts of wind.
