Marketing Stunt Had Major Cycling Race Start In Grocery Store

It looked like something out of a weird dream, but it was, indeed, reality. 

Professional cyclists cruising through a supermarket with deals all around them, but in an official race capacity. 

On Thursday, the sixth stage of the Vuelta a España—one of cycling’s three Grand Tours—began inside a local supermarket. 

Current race leader Primoz Roglic and the rest of the field kickstarted the stage in the dairy aisle of a Carrefour, a French grocery chain, in Jerez de la Frontera. The sixth leg of the race ends in Yunquera, roughly 115 miles west. 

Images from the stage showed cyclists riding up flat escalators and navigating the tight aisles as they made their way out of the store. The start was ceremonial, as cyclists were not allowed to actually compete against each other until they exited the store. 

The unique starting point is the result of Vuelta’s longtime sponsorship deal with Carrefour, which has been the race’s primary sponsor for the past 12 years. Carrefour has nearly 14,000 stores globally across 30 countries, making it one of the world’s 10 largest retailers in terms of revenue. 

Carrefour also sponsors the red jersey worn by the rider leading the general classification for the race. A company employee gives out the red jersey to the leader after each stage. 

The supermarket starting point has some company as one of the more unique kickoff locations in Vuelta’s history. In 2013, riders began the opening team time trial on an oyster-breeding raft in Galicia, a city in the country’s northwest region. The following year the race used an aircraft carrier in the coastal city of Cadiz as a way to pay homage to the country’s navy. 

After five stages, three-time Vuelta winner Primož Roglič held a narrow eight-second lead over rival João Almeida.