#DesafíoQuirónsalud 2019 Pedalling for Inclusion, organised by the Quirónsalud Group and the A La Par Foundation to highlight through sport the need for an inclusive, diverse and, thus, better society.
A team made up of four Quirónsalud employees and four people with intellectual disabilities from the Foundation will cycle through several Spanish provinces, where the group has one or more hospitals, for a week. After setting off from the Proton Therapy Centre that Quirónsalud has built in Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), they will cycle through Toledo, Alicante, Murcia, Cordoba, Seville, Cadiz and Malaga, where they will finish the Challenge on Sunday, 20 October.
How:
The protagonists of the #DesafíoQuirónsalud 2019 Pedalling for Inclusion on behalf of the A La Par Foundation are Luis, Víctor, Simón and Sergio, whereas Sabela García Oro, head of the Assisted Reproduction Laboratory at the Quirónsalud A Coruña Hospital; Gonzalo Aldámiz-Echevarría Castillo, head of the Cardiac Surgery Service at the Jiménez Díaz Foundation University Hospital, Rey Juan Carlos University Hospital and the Quirónsalud Albacete Hospital; Manuel Martínez Jiménez, head chef at the Infanta Elena University Hospital in Valdemoro; Virginia Izquierdo Fernández, area director of Barcelona East of Quirónprevención; will be running on behalf of Quirónsalud. The team, led by expert and former cyclist, Miguel Silvestre, will cycle together and compete to reach the final goal in order to show to society the benefits of actual inclusion.
Why:
The team is made up of eight cyclists, 4 with intellectual disabilities and 4 without any type of disability, and will cycle more than 600 kilometres on the road, with a positive gradient of over 10,000 metres and a maximum altitude of 1,137 meters that represent a real challenge for inexperienced cyclists. The 4 athletes with disabilities, expert cyclists, will help the “non-disabled” to reach the finish line in Malaga.
The start and finish of each stage will take place at a Quirónsalud centre, where there will be activities for employees with the aim of spreading the importance and need for inclusion. Likewise, #DesafíoQuirónsalud 2019 Pedalling for Inclusion wants to convey the benefits of physical exercise in people with intellectual disabilities and promote the sport of road cycling by proving that a “diverse team” is a “better team”.
The #DesafíoQuirónsalud 2019 Pedalling for Inclusion features the Sports and Inclusion seal of the Higher Sports Council (CSD).
Miguel Silvestre
HEAD OF THE EXPEDITION
Linked to the world of cycling, he started competing late, while always combining sports and studies. He competed in road cycling until 2006 in the elite category. That year he decided to turn his life around, i.e. to work for and bring cycling closer to everyone instead of competing. He worked on several training projects in schools and universities for years, even directing several master’s degrees related to sports.
His work and life go hand in hand. The bicycle has taken him around the world. He has participated in mountain bike races all over the world: Mongolia, South Africa, Morocco, New Zealand, Canada, United States, Chile and now also in Nepal.
Results
78
NEWS GENERATED
38,3
(MILLION) MEDIA IMPACTS
Quirónsalud Challenge Departure
A la Par Presentation
Pedaling for inclusion
Quironsalud Challenge Summary