My name is Manuel Correia, I was born in 1948 in Sarzeda in an inland village in the district of Viseu, and I am the President and Founder of TUGACYCLING.

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My taste for cycling started very early, but the difficulties of having a bicycle made this dream of mine very difficult to realize.

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I was born in a family with few resources and so I had to go to work early in Lisbon, and it was here that I got my first job that allowed me to help my family with the daily expenses.

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In 1964 I went to Overseas, more specifically to the former Portuguese province of Mozambique, a land that I still remember with longing. With decolonization, I returned to Metrópole, where I started a new life in the locality Quinta do Conde in the Council of Sesimbra.

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It was here with the help of some traders and the club “Os Leonenses” that we created the first amateur cycling team and with the entry of Unicer sponsorship, one of the most prestigious cycling teams in the South Bank was created.

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With the financial crisis in the 1980s, I once again had to leave the country and emigrate to the United States of America.

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Despite the difficulties, cycling continued to be a great passion giving the greatest support to my son João Correia in his sports career as a cyclist.

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With the help of some Portuguese American friends, we created the “Portuguese America Cycling Club”, a team that participated in events on the United States national calendar. More and more Portuguese people came together to ride bicycles on walks in the counties of Westchester, New York, which led to the appearance of the “TUGACYCLING” team also with the great help of local Portuguese businessmen and clubs.

 

Following this growth, the “TUGACYCLING DEN LIONS” appeared in New Jersey, participating in leisure and humanitarian events.

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Also in Canada our Portuguese descendants wear the colors “TUGACYCLING” with pride and with sponsorship supporting this great project.

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With my return to Portugal, the TUGACYCLING PORTUGAL team was created ”, where today there are 34 athletes from North to South of the country.

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Manuel Correia