The teams will be presented on Heroes' Square on May 4, with the actual race starting with a 195-stage via Székesfehérvár and Esztergom to Visegrád two days later.Continue reading
Three Hungarian cyclists and one Hungarian sports director will participate in the Giro d’Italia, which starts on May 6, announced cycling expert László Szilasi at the press conference of the “Grande Partenza.” According to the organizers, the popularity of cycling in Hungary is increasing significantly, which is reinforced by the recent performances by Attila Valter, Márton Dina, Erik Fetter, Barnabás Peák, and Blanka Kata Vas.
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It was all but certain that Attila Valter, who wore the pink jersey last year, would be competing in the Giro and there were three other Hungarian riders to cheer for. Szilasi said that in addition to Valter (Groupama-FDJ), the place of Barnabás Peák of Intermarché-Wanty-Goubert-Goubert Matériaux is also secured, and the Italian Eolo-Kometa will decide in the next few days whether to include Márton Dina or Erik Fetter in its ranks. One of them will definitely be at the start.
László Szilasi, race director of the Tour de Hongrie, recalled that the “pink jersey” of the “Giro leader” was inspired by the pink sheets of the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, which created the Tour. He recalled that László Bodrogi was the first Hungarian to participate in the first Tour of Italy in 2007.
The Giro d’Italia is watched by some 800 million television viewers in 200 countries. The Deputy Secretary of State named the three legacies of the Grande Partenza as the image of the country, the promotion of young people on bicycles, and the improvement of transport culture.
The rural towns will be put on the tourist map of Europe by the race, the base for the supply of “Attila Valters” will be increased in the future and it will make the motorist pay attention to the cyclist, in the spirit of peaceful coexistence and sharing of the roads,”
he said.
“Together with the fans we will create a real Giro atmosphere in Hungary,” said Tibor Balázs, operational director of the race.
Sports consultant Stephen Roche, the 1987 Giro winner, stressed that it was a great feeling to see the towns and villages in pink, the fans with pink faces, including many children, cheering the passing peloton along the roads, while a real festival atmosphere was created in connection with the Tour of Italy.
Last year, Hungarian Attila Valter (Groupama-FDJ) wore the pink jersey for three days and participated in the press event for a few minutes before the training. He said he was very confident that thousands of people will be on the roads and that the great race will have a positive outcome.
The first of three stages of the Giro, which begins on May 6, will be held in Hungary, which has never happened before at a three-week race. On May 4, the program will begin with a team presentation in Heroes’ Square.
Source: MTI
Featured image: A trophy at the presentation of the Giro d’Italia road cycling Grand Prix in Hungary and the first three stages of the race in Budapest, Hungary, November 3, 2021. Photo by Zoltán Balogh/MTI
