Vilanova de Bellpuig hosts a winter duathlon in memory

Plan your race pace

Vilanova de Bellpuig will host a new edition of the Duatló Cross Hivernal Memorial Xavier Gorgues on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2026. The mass start is scheduled for 11 a.m. from the town’s rambla, where the transition area will also be set up. The course combines two running segments, 5 and 2.5 kilometers, with an intermediate mountain-bike section of about 20 kilometers.

Participants can race individually or as a two-person relay, and the event has a purpose beyond competition: remembering Xavier Gorgues, a founding member of the Club Ciclista Guineus, and supporting La Marató de TV3. Entry fees vary by registration period, and total participation is capped at 300 people.

A winter event with a commemorative purpose

The memorial was created to remember Xavier Gorgues, a friend and founding member of the Club Ciclista Guineus. The date selected for this edition, Nov. 29, falls shortly before the anniversary of his death on Dec. 11. The event brings athletic effort together with the memory of someone associated with the club’s beginnings.

The organizers also say the event supports La Marató de TV3. The available information does not specify what portion of entry fees goes to the initiative or how the support is arranged, so no amount or specific mechanism should be assumed. It does make clear that the memorial has a charitable dimension alongside its sporting purpose.

The event’s name captures both sides of its identity: a cross-country duathlon and a local tribute. It is neither a conventional road race nor a cycling-only course. Alternating running with mountain biking means changing pace and discipline, making the transition area an essential part of the day.

Date, start and Sunday schedule

The event is scheduled for Nov. 29, 2026, in Vilanova de Bellpuig, in the province of Lleida. All categories will start together at 11 a.m. from the town’s rambla. Both the start arch and the area where participants leave equipment for the transitions will be located there.

A participant briefing will take place at 10:45 a.m., before the start. Bib pickup is scheduled for race day from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. The organizers also say bibs can be collected the previous day, although the hours for that option will be announced on their social media channels.

Restrooms and showers will be available at the soccer field, about 200 meters from the transition area. This proximity makes it possible to take care of basic needs without moving far from the event hub. Even so, detailed schedules, travel arrangements and any last-minute updates should be checked through the organizer’s channels.

A course with two running sections and one mountain-bike leg

The format begins with 5 kilometers of running. After this first segment, participants enter the transition area, collect their bikes and tackle an approximately 20-kilometer mountain-bike course. The event ends with a second 2.5-kilometer run after another transition.

In total, the course includes 7.5 kilometers of running and about 20 kilometers on a mountain bike. The cycling distance is described as approximate, not as a final measurement, and the available information does not describe the profile, elevation gain, surface or specific route. The organizers say they will publish the courses and provide further details over time.

The sequence differs from a linear race: the body must adapt to cycling after running, then find a steady stride again after the mountain-bike section. In a cross-country duathlon, transitions are part of the effort; they are not a break, but the point where participants change equipment and move to a discipline with different muscular demands.

Individual racing and two-person relays

The individual entry is for participants completing all three segments. The two-person relay splits the effort between two people: one handles the running sections and the other the mountain-bike leg. The first partner runs the opening 5 kilometers, the second rides about 20 kilometers on a mountain bike, and the first partner returns for the final 2.5 kilometers.

Teams can be women’s, men’s or mixed. When entering this category, participants must state who will complete each discipline. The format opens the event to people who prefer to specialize in running or cycling, although the sequence requires coordination at the transition area and adherence to the prescribed order.

The organizers plan to provide two participant gifts and two race bags per pair. The published information does not say what those items contain or whether additional relay conditions apply. The useful planning detail is the basic division of segments: running, cycling and running, with the same partner completing both running sections.

Entry fees and registration periods

The fee depends on when registration is completed. The first period, through Nov. 3, sets the price at 20 euros for an individual entry and 38 euros per pair. From Nov. 4 through Nov. 14, or until places sell out, the fees rise to 22 euros per person and 42 euros per pair.

The final announced period begins Nov. 15 and ends Nov. 26, provided places remain. During those dates, registration costs 26 euros for an individual and 50 euros for a pair. Chip rental, when needed, adds one euro, according to the terms given for the registration periods.

The reference information mentions a 36-euro fee for pairs in another section, but the detailed pricing schedule lists 38 euros as the initial rate. To avoid treating both amounts as current at the same time, the most complete reference is the tiered schedule: 38, 42 and 50 euros per pair, depending on the date. The overall limit is 300 participants, and later rates depend on places remaining.

Chip, bib and transition equipment

Timing at this edition will use a yellow chip. Participants using a rented chip must return it after finishing the duathlon. Registration may include an additional one-euro charge for rental if a runner does not have a personal chip or needs to request one.

Bibs can be collected on Sunday morning during the announced 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. window, after which participants may leave their bikes in the transition area. Saturday pickup is also planned, but no specific hours are provided here. The 10:45 a.m. briefing is the reference point immediately before the start.

A helmet is mandatory during the mountain-bike segment. This is an explicit and essential requirement: the cycling section accounts for a substantial part of the course, and a helmet should be ready before equipment is left in transition. The available information does not list other required items or specify technical rules for the bike, so those details should be confirmed with the organizers.

What is known about the route and what remains pending

The distances and order of the segments have been announced, but no complete public map is available. Verified details about total elevation gain, terrain, technical sections or cut-off points are also missing. In a mountain-bike event, these features can significantly affect the demands of the course, so it is unwise to infer them from the event format alone.

The organizers have said they will share the courses and update the details. That information will help establish whether the route uses wide tracks, trails or mixed surfaces, and what conditions cyclists might encounter. Until those details are released, the approximately 20-kilometer figure should be understood as the announced estimated distance.

It is also useful to distinguish the total running distance from the usual label for a 5K or 10K event. There is no single running course here: two separate segments, divided by the bike section, add up to 7.5 kilometers. An approximately 20-kilometer cycling leg follows, so the full event combines disciplines and cannot be summarized as a single running distance.

Vilanova de Bellpuig as the meeting point

The start and transition area are on the rambla in Vilanova de Bellpuig, a town in the Pla d’Urgell area of Lleida. Keeping the start, finish and equipment-change area together makes it easier for participants to manage the move between running and cycling. Restrooms and showers are planned at the soccer field, about 200 meters away.

The location is specific, but no street number or more detailed postal address is provided. There is also no information about parking, public transportation or road closures. Visitors coming from outside town will need to check local information and event announcements before making travel plans.

Because it takes place in late November, the event falls in the heart of the winter season, but that does not make it possible to predict the weather on race day. Temperature, wind and rain can affect how cold it feels and the condition of the trails, but there is no reliable forecast this far ahead. The safest expectation is a late-autumn event, with actual conditions to be assessed closer to the date.

An edition that continues the memorial’s history

The 2026 edition is identified as the 11th Duatló Cross Hivernal. The memorial has connected Xavier Gorgues’ name with a club sporting event and a shared day in the town. That continuity makes the event more than a collection of times: it preserves a local memory through a gathering that combines running and cycling.

Results from a previous edition show that the individual format has already brought participants together, using the same broad structure of 5 kilometers on foot, 20 by bike and a final 2.5 kilometers. However, those historical figures cannot predict participation, pace or finishing times in 2026. The course, conditions and level of each edition may differ.

The defining feature remains the balance between challenge and tribute. The segments require participants to alternate aerobic effort, bike handling and quick transitions, while Xavier Gorgues’ name keeps the event’s origins in view. On Nov. 29, 2026, the rambla in Vilanova de Bellpuig will once again bring both dimensions together.