One of the most decorated sprinters and leading figures in the history of professional road race and track cycling, Mark Cavendish, has been named official Ambassador of the ΔΕΗ Cycling Tour of Hellas.
Among other distinctions, the Briton, one of the greatest sprinters the world of cycling has ever seen, boasts 156 victories -of them 52 in Grand Tours stages- and possesses points classification jerseys of all three Grand Tours, as well as the 2011 rainbow jersey. By claiming four more wins in 2021, he equalled Eddie Merx’s record number stage victories in the Tour de France!
Cavendish has been equally successful on the track, being a three-time World Champion (2005, 2008, and 2016), and won an Olympic silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
The question that led to the revival of the DEH Cycling Tour of Greece!
A year ago, Cavendish was training in Greece with his coach, Vassilis Anastopoulos, when he met the Deputy Minister of Sports, Mr. Lefteris Avgenakis. The Briton asked Avgenakis, "How come Greece doesn’t have its own Cycling Tour?". That was the spark that ignited the “fire”.
Following the efforts of many other who shared the same passion and with the vital support of ΔΕΗ (Greece’s Public Power Corporation), the Cycling Tour of Greece is only a few inches away from coming back to life after a ten-year hiatus and aims to establish its position in the international calendar.
The contribution of Vassilis Anastopoulos
Quickstep Alpha Vinyl coach, Vassilis Anastopoulos, played a key-role in Cavedish’s recent comeback:
"Mark represents for cycling, what Michael Jordan is basketball. British Press described his return to action as the biggest comeback in the history of sports. It’s a great honour for the Tour of Greece to have Mark as the race’s ambassador”, said Anastopoulos, who is the only Greek to date to claim victory at the Tour of Hellas - back in 2003.
In 2001 Anastopoulos became the first Greek cyclist signed by a professional team, Volksbank. A year later he won the royal stage of the Tour of Rhodes. Overall, he has been declared 18 times Greek champion, six on the road and 12 on the track, while in 2003 he won the Balkan title.
In 2012 he led Pericles Elias to the World Mountain Bike Marathon title and in 2013 he begun a career as a trainer of professional athletes like Johan Vansummeren, Thomas Dekker, and Sebastian Langeveld. With the creation of SEG (2015), he became a Performance Coach and soon after a Performance Manager.
Vassilis Anastopoulos interview at the official presentation of the ΔΕΗ Tour of Hellas
Hi everyone, I am Mark Cavendish.
It’s been an honor to be the Tour of Hellas’ ambassador.
I am thrilled for the revival of the Tour after nearly a decade.
Greece is a magical place.
Beauty, exceptional landscapes, plenty of light, warm hugs (covid permitting😊), cultural heritage monuments: I really envy all the cyclists that will compete on these stages.
I’ d like to thank Lefteris Avgenakis, Deputy Minister of Sports, in Greece for this unique experience he offers to the global cycling community reviving the Tour of Hellas.
I know that Mr Avgenakis strongly believes that Greece deserves to have a great Cycling Tour, and why not, one the greatest in the years to come!
I am sure that it will happen.
Culture, sports, poetry, arts, history, philosophy, democracy, passion: the past that composes the present.
Looking forward watching the stages, sending all over the world the Greek myth.
See you all in Greece!
