In the first video above you can see the great atmosphere at Sella 2024. With a lot of revelry, a massive parade in Arriondas and a great canoe and vendor race.
Descent of the Sella by canoe
If you want to enjoy the same experience as professional paddlers, you can go rafting down the Sella River with one of the local adventure tourism companies. We'll give you all the information.
Descent of the Sella
Water, nature, fun, and sport for everyone: children, adults, and pets. A fun and sporting experience already enjoyed by millions… Read more
The sports party of Las Pirguas
It all began in 1929 with a canoe trip by Dionisio de la Huerta and a friend on the Piloña River, a tributary of the Sella. In the summer of 1930, with another companion, they paddled down the Sella from Arriondas to Ribadesella, not with any competitive intentions, but rather for contemplation and enjoyment. The trip became a yearly tradition, and they began to compete for the top spots, improve their times, and be cheered on by friends from the roadside. Dionisio didn't want to compete, but rather to pay homage to the river , and thanks to his stance, it never became a mere race.
More than fifty years after the competition's origins, and after the event had become firmly established at all levels, an Australian pair, J. Jacoby and Ramon Andersson , left an indelible mark in 1988 , setting a record that seemed destined to remain unbroken : one hour, six minutes, and thirty-six seconds to complete the 17 kilometers between Arriondas and Ribadesella (the most voluminous stretch of an extraordinarily beautiful river, with a natural course of sixty kilometers through splendid natural beauty). But in 2009, Julio Martínez confirmed his reign with his eleventh K-2 victory, alongside Asturian paddler Miguel Fernández Castañón , establishing a new course record of 1 hour, 1 minute, and 14 seconds.
The Sella River unconsciously persists in the collective celebration, and in the midst of the popular revelry, it's often forgotten that it is the main protagonist of the event. It originates in the Majada de Pozúa, in the Sajambre Valley, in the Picos de Europa mountains, and flows through the municipalities of Cangas de Onís, Arriondas, and Ribadesella, where it finally empties into the sea, canoes and crowds of people alike.
The festivities along the river begin in the early hours of the morning, when the river trains depart for Arriondas from Ribadesella and Oviedo, packed with people eager to witness the start. At eleven o'clock, one of the most captivating moments of the day unfolds in the streets of this town: a massive, almost carnival-like parade of revelers adorned with countless trinkets, walking or riding all manner of wheeled contraptions, intending to follow the race to Ribadesella along the main road parallel to the river.
Shortly before noon, the canoeists wait impatiently. After the ritual verses "Let the public remain silent, and listen to our words…" which Dionisio de la Huerta read until his death in 1995; at twelve o'clock sharp, the starting signal is given.
The atmosphere instantly crackles with energy as over a thousand canoes launch into the river together . From that moment on, anything can happen: many paddlers are thrown into the water in their haste, canoes and paddles are broken. Some are trapped by their misfortune, while a few take the lead, emerging victorious from a heart-stopping starting pistol. The Sella, halfway down the river, is usually a race between two, three, four, five, or six boats—never more. Many have already fallen behind, and now the favorites or the lucky ones suddenly find themselves battling each other, their own strength, and the whims of fate. Once someone starts to pull ahead by a few meters, there's little that can be done unless misfortune intervenes. Numerous Sella races have been contested right down to the final meters , right under the finish line bridge in Ribadesella, and won by mere inches.
The 2004 Sella race will go down in history because the K2 team of Julio Martínez (11-time Sella champion) and Emilio Merchán defeated their opponents by racing along a section of the river, the Isla de la Boticaria, a few meters from the finish line, opening up new sporting possibilities for the event.
In recent years, Walter Bouzán has taken over from Julio Martínez, winning 9 Sellas, 7 of them in K2 and consecutively alongside his partner Álvaro Fiuza.
In the women's category, the absolute record is held by Mara Santos from Palencia , who has won the downhill race twenty-two times.
There's always a lot of anticipation at the finish line . The loudspeakers announce that the English or the South Africans are in the lead, or that there's a close battle between the Portuguese and the Asturians…
When everything concludes, also following the tradition inaugurated by Dionisio and the pioneers of the Sella, the canoeists and pilgrims travel en masse by train or road to the Campos de Ova , three kilometers from the town of Ribadesella, where a massive picnic is held , a siesta is taken under the poplars, folk groups are watched, a little dancing is done and trophies are given to the champions of all categories.
But there is yet another Sella in this chameleon-like festival, the Sella that overflows on Friday and Saturday nights in Ribadesella and Arriondas , and which every year, like the sporting event, breaks all predictions in number and dedication.
The party of the pirogues
The Sella Night Race is a very tough race, in which more than 100.000 "dancers" try to synchronize their efforts so that they can reach the next day without having stopped dancing for a single moment.
The two villages are flooded with lives, like Cantabrian venias, full of human channels through which the passions circulate. The athletes of the night form human whirlpools in the vicinity of the urban area, and many, to most, seems not to pass bill hours and hours of pursuit sellero.
As the night wears on, a collective frenzy of energy sets in, but the DJs are there , steering the ship along with the rest of the group, fueled by their own enthusiasm: "Row, row!" Downriver, until dawn. The nighttime Sella is a giant galley, floating on a vast open-air stage, a place where muscles and vitality are put to the test. And in this grand open-air disco, mingling with the crowd, you can see all kinds of sculpted paddlers of both sexes.
Someone once said that the social essence of "Sellism" is a kind of unique atmosphere, difficult to describe because everything is steeped in the epic feel of the place. You get the sense that anything can happen; it's the beginning of entropy, a spiral of emotions where you can meet countless people for any reason and without conventional excuses.
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
