Filenews 30 March 2023 - by Dora Christodoulou
With the participation of 500 athletes from four continents and 39 different countries, the largest cycling race in Cyprus, the Cyprus Gran Fondo, begins on Friday and ends on Sunday.
The start will be given on three days from Paphos Town Hall Square, at 8:15am on Friday, at 9:00am on Saturday and at 8:00am on Sunday. The medal awards will take place on Sunday at the beach "Alykes".
The race, which is organized by Activate Cyprus, focuses on Paphos, with the coastal city and the surrounding areas benefiting from tourism, since it is estimated that there will be over 6,000 nights during the cycling action at the Cyprus Gran Fondo 2023.
The Cyprus Gran Fondo is one of the 28th edition of the UCI Gran Fondo World Series of races to be held later this year. It has been included in the world calendar since 2017.
A special glamour in this year's event is given by the fact that 25% of the participants will have the opportunity to win the qualification for the final of the World Championship, which for 2023 will turn into a feast of cycling, since for the first time the World Federation - in August in Glasgow - will hold a total of 13 World Championships at the same time.
The participants are classified in two categories, Excelt (athletes) and Sportive (athletes), which concern semi-professional and amateur cyclists respectively. In the schedule of the two categories there is a difference only on the first day, Friday, March 31, during which the individual time trial will take place. Sportive travel a distance of 54km from the center of Paphos to the village of Nikokleia, while at 11:30am begins the individual timing of the Experts who on a route of 28.3km going from Nikokleia to Prastio and back.
On the other two days the routes are common to the two categories. On Saturday the athletes will start from Paphos, will cover 103km and finish in Kouklia, while on Sunday starting from the Municipal Palace of Paphos and finishing in Tsada they will do 54.2km.
It is worth noting that qualification for the final of the Gran Fondo in Glasgow on the first day can be hunted by the Experts, while on Saturday tickets are offered for both categories.
In addition, men aged 60 and over and women aged 50 and over will compete on Sunday through the Cyprus Medio Fondo, which for the second consecutive year will take place alongside the Cyprus Gran Fondo. Cyprus Medio Fondo is addressed to those who want to live the challenge of cycling experience in the nice places of the Paphos area, but to travel shorter distances.
