The international juniors’ race will come for the first time to Hungary which will be able to organise a world-level competition for the first time after 100 years in the history of cycling sport. The interesting thing about the Visegrad 4 Juniors cycling race is that it is the only round in this year’s series of the UCI Nations’ Cup.
Dr. Tünde Szabó, Secretary of State for Sport, emphasized: it is exemplary that Hungary can host this year’s only World Cup race, as the epidemic situation has left many international events behind, thus narrowing the range of sporting events. „Cycling is one of the most spectacular and watched sports, so understandably the Hungarian government was happy to support the event” – she said.
Dr. Attila Ulrich, Deputy Mayor of Nyíregyháza, spoke about it, that it is important for the city, to provide space for any major cycling event each year. „The advertising value of cycling is outstanding. Competition itself provides an opportunity to give the a new look at the city” – he said.
Dr. Péter Princzinger, President of the Hungarian Cycling Federation, highlighted the importance of competition in several respects: „It takes a sense of trust to that the UCI allow such a high-volume event to take place. It is also important for Hungarian cycling, that to organize as many international competitions as possible, as these competitions contribute to the development of the sport” – he declared.
Zsolt Törzsök, the president of the main organizing Movement, Health Recreation Sports Club, said at the press conference, that they want to create a tradition of holding a competition, the date for next year is already known. Another good news is that Nyíregyháza is scheduled to host a European Championship in 2021, because the best indoor cyclist of the continent will arrive in Nyíregyháza.
„A total of 16 teams, including two Hungarians, will start” – declared the race director János Solymosi, who confirmed that the preparations are already in the final stages. „We organized two UCI 1.2 category elite race in this county last year, which was essentially the main test of this year’s World Cup. It is a special pleasure for us, that with the permission of the international federation, in addition to the Hungarian national team, the DKSI Regional team can also start. As an organizer, we also trust in the success of Hungarian cyclists.”
The Visegrad 4 Juniors Nations’ Cup begins with a 95-kilometer stage between Vásárosnamény and Nyíregyháza. The next day there will be two halves stage, firstly in the morning a four-and-a-half-kilometer individual time trial in the center of Nyíregyháza, while in the afternoon a 73.2-kilometer road race awaits cyclists around Ibrány. On the third and closing stage, the caravan rolls again between Vásárosnamény and Nyíregyháza, this time covering 107.3 kilometers.
Photos by Attila Vígh
