On your marks, set, go! Everything’s put in place in Heraklion, Crete ahead of the start of the ΔΕΗ International Cycling Tour of Hellas, one of the biggest sporting events of the season happening in Greece.
The dream of all Greek cycling fans, i.e. the return of the Hellenic Tour in the international calendar, is set to come true following the coordinated actions and the decisive contribution of the Deputy Minister of Sports and Culture, Mr. Lefteris Avgenakis.
A few hours before the bikes hit the road, it’s about time to introduce to the public the 139 riders from 20 World, Pro, Continental and National teams - including Trek-Segafredo, one of the only 18 members of the UCI World Teams -, that will start from Pankritio Stadium next Wednesday (April 27).
The official presentation of the teams and their riders will take place on April 26, at 5 pm, in Mikro Koule in the port of Heraklion. The event will honour with his presence the Deputy Minister as well as members of the local authorities.
The Tour of Hellas has been inactive for a decade and in its return features a peloton, that cycling fans in Greece have never seen before.
Participants represent 5 continents and 26 countries, with European riders holding the lion's share with 108 entries. Among them, 16 have previous experience from the three Grand Tours!
The participating teams of the Tour are:
- Trek - Segafredo - UCI World Team
- Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB - UCI Pro Team
- Drone Hopper - Androni Giocattoli - UCI Pro Team
- Human Powered Health - UCI Pro Team
- Caja Rural - Seguros RGA - UCI Pro Team
- Team Novo Nordisk - UCI Pro Team
- Allinq Continental Cycling Team - UCI Continental Team
- Astana Kazakhstan Development Team - UCI Continental Team
- BHS - PL Concrete Bornholm - UCI Continental Team
- Cross Team Legendre - UCI Cyclocross Team
- Dukla Banska Bystrica - UCI Continental Team
- Bolton Equities Black Spoke Pro Cycling - UCI Continental Team
- Giotti Victoria - Savini Due - UCI Continental Team
- Mg.K Vis-Color for Peace-VPM - UCI Continental Team
- Team Coop - UCI Continental Team
- Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team - UCI Continental Team
- XSpeed United Continental– UCI Continental Team
- Tarteletto - Isorex - UCI Continental Team
- National team of Cyprus
- National team of Greece
Five days of action will see the 20 teams vying to capture the Tour’s four jerseys: blue for the Tour winner; orange for the "King of the Mountains"; red for the first in the sprint classification; and white for the top young rider.
The 190 kilometres of the first stage will see the riders cycling from Heraklion, towards Southern Crete and then up to the North in Rethymno, with Chania the final destination.
The peloton will pass through five regions, 11 prefectures, 28 cities and will cover more than 858 kilometers over a five days ride, with the magnificent landscape of Crete and mainland Greece setting up the ideal backdrop of the Hellenic Tour.
