The Vuelta a España has done it again. On Thursday, stage 6 of the race officially began inside the giant Carrefour supermarket in the southern part of Jerez de la Frontera.

The Vuelta has had some unlikely starts in the past, including one inside an aircraft carrier near Cadiz and another in a huge raft for oyster farming called a batea in the far northwest Galicia.

But even the Vuelta has never started its stage from inside a retail store to celebrate 12 years of sponsorship by Carrefour.

“They didn't come here to buy eggs, they didn't come here to buy bread, they came here to buy a piece of bread, they came here to buy a piece of bread.

Realistically, there was no chance to grab a couple of boxes of eggs or produce because of the barriers that ensured the players stayed in the wide aisles for the 100-meter dash across the supermarket floor.

Even outside, the parking lot was used for race organization vehicles waiting for the stages to begin, and the starting “paddock” for the team buses was located on the entry road off the hypermarket complex. A sign-on podium was strategically placed in front of the center's main entrance for photos and video... [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [Interviews with several staff members by Cycling News, including Marta, Inma, Jose Antonio, Moises, and Mercedes, amply attest to this.

“I was really surprised that something like this could happen. I was surprised to see journalists wandering around through the barriers before the riders came through. But I got used to the idea pretty quickly. It's made the supermarket look really nice, and it's great to have the event here.”

[5] “A quick coat of paint, the decorations were done quickly, and the barriers were installed overnight. [6] [7] “We will reopen at 3:00 this afternoon so it will be back to business as usual. No doubt other supermarkets will do this, but we will always have the memory of being the first supermarket, and that is something we will never forget. We are pioneers.”

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