Tour Almaty 2017 int'l race kicks off in Almaty

"We hold the Almaty Tour for the fifth time in a row. The race has the new format. It presents new challenges to the city and cycling in Kazakhstan in general. We've worked hard to up the ante in terms of organization. This year it will last for two days. The UCI approved the new status of the race. It proves that all the previous races delivered benefits and we were granted the right to propel the race to the next level," Amanbek Kulchikov, Vice President of the Kazakhstan Cycling Federation said at the event.

He revealed that this year the number of applications from teams that wanted to participate in the race significantly exceeded the one the organizers got in 2016. Only the strongest teams that can compete with the best riders have been picked for the race this year. It is worth noting that promising rider and defending champion of the Tour Almaty 2016 Alexey Lutsenko will also compete in the race.



The two-day race will allow the riders to earn more points on the Asian Tour and further qualify for the World Championships and the Olympic Games.

On Day 1 participants of the race will ride around Almaty city. The race has kicked off at the old Astana square next to the Kazakh British Technical University. It will take the riders along Tole Bi, Furmanov, Satpayev, Baizakov, Abai andZheltoksan streets to the finish line at the Almaty Arena stadium.

The second stage of the race is scheduled on Sunday.