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A four-day cycling race, the Tour d’Arménie (Tour of Armenia), will be held in Armenia from September 10-13, with the routes covering a total of around 500 kilometers.
Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan presented details of the Tour d’Arménie at a Cabinet meeting.
The Tour d’Arménie (Tour of Armenia) is a professional multi-stage road cycling race held in Armenia and sanctioned as a Class 2.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour.
According to Andreasyan, on the first day of the race, September 10, cyclists will cover 135 km along the Gavar-Mets Masrik route. The second day will feature a 177-km Kirants-Stepanavan route. On the third day, the race will follow the Martuni-Dilijan route, with a stop at Lake Parz. That day's route will be 162 km long. The fourth day of the race will take place entirely in Yerevan, on a 113-km route.
“Cyclists will complete the 11.3-km section 10 times. This will give spectators an opportunity to gather and follow the cycling race,” Andreasyan said.
She said cyclists from various countries are expected to participate in the race.
“This is an opportunity for Armenia to showcase itself along a route covering around 500 km. All the communities through which the cyclists will pass will have an opportunity to showcase their tourism attractions,” the minister said.
According to Andreasyan, organizing and holding the cycling race will require AMD 1 billion 599 million 527,200, of which AMD 884 million will be allocated from the Armenian government’s reserve fund, AMD 413 million 860,000 from the Armenia State Institute of Physical Culture and Sport Foundation, and AMD 301 million 667,200 is expected to come from other sponsors.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the event is being held as part of efforts to develop professional sports in Armenia.
“Bicycles are becoming increasingly popular as part of the environmental and climate agenda,” Pashinyan said.