Ladoga Gold International Race to Be Included in SPIEF Sports Programme
The second Ladoga Gold international multi-day cycling race will take place on 1–8 June as part of the sports programme of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
“The SPIEF is a global business platform for the presentation of strategic projects and international communication. If we’re talking about cycling, the Ladoga Gold race is fully consistent with this. For us, this is an important step towards creating a Russian Grand Tour. The test race last year revealed interest in the project from foreign teams. This year, Ladoga Gold will reach a new level,” said Vyacheslav Yekimov, president of the Russian Cycling Federation and a three-time Olympic champion.
In 2024, the cycling route will also pass through the roads of the Leningrad Region and the Republic of Karelia, and the race will conclude with a stage in St. Petersburg.
“The scale of this project reaches beyond the strong sports component. Thanks to the Ladoga Gold cycling race, the Leningrad Region and the Republic of Karelia will have the opportunity to introduce themselves to a broad audience. And the final stage in St. Petersburg will give Forum participants a sense of the world of high speed cycling. Thus, sport and tourism mutually expand each other’s boundaries,” Roscongress Foundation Chairman of the Board and CEO Alexander Stuglev said.
The first Ladoga Gold cycling race took place in July 2023. Cyclists rode more than 1,000 kilometres surrounded by the natural beauty of Lake Ladoga. The multi-day route covered eight cities and more than 40 settlements in the Leningrad Region and the Republic of Karelia. Teams from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the UAE took part in the race. And Belarusian Sergey Shevchenko won the general classification. Negotiations are currently underway to expand the international component of the second race.
“Russian sport is incorporating new formats, and the Ladoga Gold cycling race has become a successful example of communication with foreign countries. It’s an important start for Russian athletes, and a very significant project for the development of domestic cycling,” said Georgy Bryusov, director of the Centre for Sports Training of Russian National Teams.
The 27th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum will take place on 5–8 June.
The SPIEF Sports Games will be managed by the RC Sport, the sports platform of the Roscongress Foundation. For all the latest news about SPIEF 2023[jj1] sporting events, please visit: t.me/Sport_Roscongress
