Leading cyclists from Russia and Belarus will compete in the second international cycling race "Ladoga Gold." They will be competing against riders from the UAE, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Morocco and Syria. This year's multi-day race will be held from June 1-8 as part of the Sports Games of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Russian champions Petr Rikunov and Andrey Stepanov, as well as Russian championship winner Kirill Miller will lead their regional teams. Sergey Shevchenko from Belarus, winner of the Ladoga Gold-2023, will defend his title. Together with him, one of the leaders of the Minsk team will be 43-year-old Evgeny Sobol, who took second place in the general classification in 2023.

"A strong line-up of riders promises a very interesting fight on the track. Belarusian cyclists will want to repeat their success, and our riders will do everything possible to prevent them from doing so. We expect that teams from other countries will also take part in the dispute for high places. We continue to work on the geography of participants and strengthening the competition," said Irakli Abramyan, head coach of the Russian national road cycling team.

A team from the UAE Abu Dhabi Cycling Club will again take part in the cycling race. The team's sports director Vladimir Gusev announced this at the World of Opportunities Forum in Dubai.

"Last year we already participated in the Ladoga Gold. It is a very interesting project with huge prospects. We liked everything about it: the grandiose nature, the cool roads. Expect to see us this year as well. Our team will include athletes not only from the UAE, but also from Syria and Morocco," said Vladimir Gusev.

AvtoVAZ will provide LADA Vesta SW Cross NG and LADA Niva Travel cars to accompany and provide technical assistance to the racers. All participants will be insured by Sberbank Insurance.

In 2024, the route of the cycling race will also take place on the roads of Leningrad Region and the Republic of Karelia around Lake Ladoga. The race will start at Russia's most modern motor racing circuit, Igora Drive, and one of the most spectacular will be the stage in Vyborg. Cyclists will pass by the Vyborg Castle with St. Olaf's Tower, which is the only medieval donjon in Russia. The race will end on June 8 on the final day of SPIEF with a stage in St Petersburg.

Global Times