Sunday, April 9, Formentera will host the third edition of Trasmapi Tracks de Formentera, announced the administration's Office of Sport today. With technical support from the Balearic cycling federation and backing from the Formentera Council and Trasmapi, the bike race billed as Non Stop has also been yoked by its organisers at Club Trideporte to another cause: Save Posidonia Project.

Cyclists have until Saturday at 9.00pm to register on elitechip.net. To date, 235 individuals have already signed up. The limit is set at 300. According to CiF sports councillor Jordi Vidal, more than half of those due to ride aren't from the Balearics.

In its time, the competitive trial has come to stand as a symbol of nature, bicycle touring and outdoors sightseeing. Participating cyclists will make their way down a combined 85K of roads and trails.
Tracks de Formentera is composed of two modalities:

Non Stop Silver, 85K, starts and finishes in la Savina port
Non Stop Bronze, 45K, starts in Sant Francesc and finishes in la Savina port

Numbers will be available for pick-up Thursday April 6 from 6.00 to 8.30pm at Eivissa's Club de Camp, Saturday April 8 from 6.00 to 8.00pm in la Savina port, or on Sunday April 9 from 9.00 to 10.00am, again in la Savina.

The starting shot of the Silver race is set for Sunday at 10.30am and riders will return to the port to finish. Bronze participants start out in Sant Francesc and conclude their ride in la Savina port as well. The route includes three cross points and three provision spots.

This Saturday the island welcomes the Formentera All Round Trail and, as CiF sports councillor Jordi Vidal pointed out, the event is expected to draw more than four hundred to the island. At 8.00am runners will set out from la Savina on a 72.5K circuit snaking along the Formentera coastline. Starting out at es Arenals beach, a 41K half run takes place at 11.30am and the 21K Tros de Fart at 1.00pm

Participants in the day's second run, a half circuit cutting out from els Arenals beach, will set off at 11.30am. The shortest trail—Tros de FART—is 21K and will have runners hitting the pavement at 1.00pm. The three circuits share a finish line in la Savina's port and respective time limits of 13, 9 and 4 hours have been established. Another feature of the event, co-sponsored by Elitechip and Formentera Island Council, are the five refreshment points that runners will find along the trails.

Athletes can sign up through Thursday at 10.00pm at www.elitechip.net and pick up their numbers between 5.00 and 9.00pm at the event tent in la Savina. Numbers can also be picked up Saturday morning for runners on the two shorter circuits, and shuttles will take people to els Arenals (Half Round) and es Caló (Tros de FART).

Councillor Vidal described the competition as “the starting shot for a pre-season period full of popular sports meets” and shared his hope runners would be blessed with good weather. Wishing participants a pleasant run, he encouraged them to be respectful of their natural surroundings and uphold the environmental protections in place.

Vidal, who thanked agencies like the Balearic Islands' port and coastal authorities and the regional department of environment for helping ensure the event's continued growth over the years, also commended Formentera local police, civil guard agents, members of the civil protection service and volunteers for assuring safe conditions.

Cycling and other events
Also this weekend is the fourth Trofeu Illa road race, a gathering of more than seventy cyclists, taking to the road this Sunday at 10.00am in la Mola before descending the hill and embarking on a quintuple loop around Estany Pudent. In the process they will pass Sant Ferran, es Pujols, la Savina and Sant Francesc before finally heading back up the hill for a 12 noon arrival in la Mola.

Trofeu Illa is organised jointly by Grup Esportiu Espalmador and the Council. Road traffic will be cut during the event and in the interest of everyone's safety, the councillor encouraged residents to heed indications of traffic officers, civil protection services and volunteers throughout the event.

Motorcycle buffs have also got something to look forward to too, this Sunday from 10.00am to 2.00pm, when the Balearic championship of motorcycle trials arrives in Cala Saona. The event, hosted by Motoclub Illa de Formentera and the Balearic federation of motorcycling, will see roughly sixty athletes from all four Balearic Islands taking part in eight categories.

The Formentera Council's Office of Sport has reported that tomorrow, Saturday February 11, the island will host two events: the Balearic Islands' final cross country meet for youth runners and Formentera's first cross country running fixture. Field trials will be held in the recreational area of Can Marroig from 11.00am and local access will be restricted thirty minutes prior.

The directorate general of sports and the Balearic athletics federation headed up organisation of the meet, the final elegible event in the region before the national championship. For its part, Grup Esportiu Espalmador will host a cross country meet for adults and children. Signups will be held from 10.00am in Can Marroig and are at no cost. The Council also took part in organisation for the events.

The Formentera Council's Office of Sport, working together with various local clubs and sports associations, will deliver some twenty fitness and sports-themed events in winter 2017. Describing a sports calendar that has "hit its stride", department head Jordi Vidal said current efforts were focused on "consolidating a programme of fixtures whose prestige increases yearly". According to the councillor, "in sports, as in tourism, we're betting on quality over quantity".

The proof is in the pudding. One of the island's most beloved fitness events, the Formentera Island Half Marathon, capped its admission limits years ago "to make sure the experience was pleasant and in tune with the island's reduced size". Councillor Vidal touted the twofold benefits of fixtures like the Half Marathon: "Not only do they draw visitors during the low-season, they also encourage our local population to get active".

The first meet on the calendar is February 11's school cross country final for youth runners. As every year, Holy Week marks the start of an international training event for adepts of judo. The first weekend in May will see another school final, this time in kids' tennis.

Footraces
The starting shot in a season of races will ring out March 1 with the Cursa de la Dona («Women's Race»), an event that shares its spot on the calendar with the Balearic Islands' annual holiday and a region-wide basketball tournament. Another race, Cursa Pagesa Solidària, will follow close behind on March 12.

Runners head for the coastline on March 25 for the Formentera All Round Trail, and the lighthouse-to-lighthouse challenge Far a Far will take place April 23. The island's most famous fitness fixture, the Half Marathon, is projected to draw 2,400 participating runners on May 13.

Formentera to Run turns nine this year. The event, which Councillor Vidal billed as "the nostrum for active tourism aficionados keen to spend a week on the island", will happen between May 28 and June 3. Another popular athletics event, the Milla Urbana («Urban Mile») + Es Pujols 5K, will happen July 22.

Post-season, October 7 holds the fifth Formentera Island Triathlon whilst the celebrations around the Virgin of the Pillar –el Pilar– will coincide with the 12th Pujada a la Mola run. Finally, on December 6, the John Tunks memorial run, also known as Cursa de la Constitució, ushers in its 39th year.

Cycling
Vidal highlighted four competitive meets for inhabitants of the world of cycling: Trofeu Illa Road Race on March 26, BTT Formentera Tracks on April 9, BTT Es Cap Challenge on May 7 and –a two-part fixture– the ATB tour of Formentera and La Mola Challenge, held from October 27 to 29.

Regattas
May's Regatha Ophiusa and June's Penyal d'Ifac tournament/regatta join the Mariano Castelló memorial windsurf regatta (June 25), the Marco Mayans memorial windsurf regatta (August 27) and the 35th Volta a Formentera, a windsurf trial on September 24, as sports events pitched to Formentera's resident and visiting nautical sports enthusiasts.

More information about all of the events can be found on agendaformentera.cat.