Azerbaijan, Baku, May 13 /Trend, A. Hasanov/
Number of participating countries of the following international cycle tour dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Heydar Aliyev, can be increased, said on Sunday Head of Cycling Federation of Azerbaijan Fazil Mammadov at final ceremony of cycle tour.
"19 teams from 15 countries participated in a tour, and the following year their number can be increased," - said Mammadov.
According to him, Azerbaijan has all necessary resources and basis to continue to take an even greater number of participants.
The Head of the federation also said that the allocated funds for the construction of Olympic facilities will continue to promote the full development of sport in the country.
The cycle tour started on May 9. The participants had to overcome a distance of 30 kilometers along the national park in Baku at the first stage. The participants overcame the distance of 75 kilometers - from Baku to Ismayilli at the second stage. The total distance that the participants have to overcome, hits more than 600 kilometers.
The race, consisting of five stages, includes 20 teams with six cyclists each. Among them, four teams from Australia, Austria, Germany and Algeria, four - from Kazakhstan, Moldova, Belarus and Iran, as well as 12 club teams from Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland and Belgium.
The cycle tour kicked off through Baku streets. Afterwards, peloton headed towards the Greater Caucasus. They will pass the following three stages among beautiful places. After reaching the most northern point of the cycle tour - Sheki city, the peloton will head back to Baku.
The cycling tour has been designed by Albrecht Roeder. He has rich experience in organizing sports events for cycling, including the Road Racing World Championship under the UCI auspices, held in Stuttgart in 2007.
A bicycle tour in memory of Heydar Aliyev is a competition of a 2.2 U23 category (for sportsmen under 23 years old) and is included in the calendar of Continental Tour UCI (World Cycling Union).
The organisers are the Azerbaijani Cycling Federation, the National Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Youth and Sports. German company FREUNDE Eventlogistik deals with any technical issues.
This professional cycling competition is being carried out in Azerbaijan for the first time.