The press conference was opened by Dr. Tünde Szabó, government commissioner for economic development and one of the patrons of the race, who said that the competition has proven itself in recent years and is slowly becoming a tradition, creating opportunities for young Hungarians.

“The process initiated by the government to bring as many international sporting events to Hungary as possible is clearly paying off. Hungarian young cyclist need to be brought into competition at the international level, and this race offers the perfect opportunity to do so.

One of the guests of honor at the press event was Tamás Märcz, ambassador of the National Institute for Sports Development and Methodology and Olympic water polo champion, who emphasized that Hungary must support any event that provides an opportunity to promote domestic sports.

“Cycling is becoming increasingly popular in Hungary, and we need to provide young people with opportunities to take advantage of this,” he said. “Training the next generation is of paramount importance, and having a race like this is an opportunity to show that with hard work, it is possible to make it all the way to the Tour de France.”

Dr. Éva Rudolf, municipal representative of Nyíregyháza, emphasized the city’s commitment to and love of sports.

“The people of Nyíregyháza love sports, as has been proven countless times in recent years. The Youth World Cup has been extremely successful so far, so we have no doubt that this will also be the case this year,” she said. “Around 80 kilometers of cycle paths have been built around the city, and cycling is now an integral part of life here. Of course, it is also important to note that this World Cup is not insignificant from a tourism perspective.

Sándor Filep, mayor of Vásárosnamény, and Imre Trencsényi, mayor of Ibrány, both highlighted the positive impact of the competition on cycling tourism and the involvement of their towns in domestic cycling. They both agreed that it is of paramount importance to them that they have been an integral part of the competition for six years now.

This year’s peloton includes athletes from a total of eighteen countries, including a couple of riders who, despite their young age, already have contracts with elite clubs in their respective sports. Perhaps one of the biggest stars of the competition is Norway’s Filip-Andre Smoras, but it will also be worth keeping an eye on Hungary’s Olivér Soós and Latvia’s Arvids Logins.

Of course, a race of this caliber also offers numerous advantages for domestic cycling, as young athletes have already proven that they can compete with the world’s best. In addition to the national team, Lotus Cycling from Pécs, MBH Bank Cycling Team from Kecskemét, and DSI Cycling Team from Debrecen will also be competing this year.

In the 2025 season, Hungary will host the final stage of the ten-round series on August 14-15. The race will start with a road stage around Vásárosnamény (136.5 kilometers), followed by two half-stages the next day, with the caravan circling around Ibrány (86.3 kilometers) in the morning and the competition ending with an individual time trial in Nyíregyháza (3.5 kilometers) in the afternoon.

Barnabás Vízer, sports director of the Hungarian Cycling Federation, also praised the high standard of the competition, while Zsolt Törzsök, president of the main organizer, the Movement, Health and Recreation Sports Association, said at the press conference that they would like to make the competition a tradition. He added that as this is the final event in the World Cup series, the Hungarian competition is the last opportunity for cyclists to collect important international points, which will determine, among other things, which nations will be eligible to compete in the series in 2025.

Race director János Solymosi emphasized that their most important goal is to bring the race closer to the spectators, as the two field stages and the individual time trial provide an opportunity for fans to cheer on the cyclists more than once.

This year, however, the race goes beyond sporting performance. The organizers and participants are joining forces to support an important social cause. The young people will each complete 226 kilometers over the two days , which means a total of 26,216 kilometers, which can be purchased at a price of 1,000 forints/kilometer to support the Leukemia Children’s Foundation, which will be used to build two sterile wards equipped with HEPA filters at the Pediatric Hematology Department of the University of Debrecen.