„The goal is to win in Ignalina, and how it will go – we will see. This season, I don’t really plan individual starts strongly. Simply, if there is a free weekend and a competitive race forms, then I participate. Ignalina has a special connection with me, all my four grandparents are from Ignalina, I spent a lot of time there, so I specifically want to race the Ignalina Cycling Marathon Cup stage,“ said V. Jurkevičius.
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The first stage of the season in Druskininkai was won by another „Colibri Cycling“ representative Eimantas Gudiškis and „Top Team Cycling“ cyclist Justė Umbrasaitė. V. Jurkevičius missed the season opening stage but is considered a favorite for a reason: the racer triumphed in the last stage of the previous season in Vilnius.
„Mountain bike races are actually decreasing, this year I sat on an MTB bike in Africa when I rode the „Cape Epic“ race, then in the Lithuanian mountain bike marathon championship and that’s it, I haven’t ridden even once more. I will need to check the tires sometime this week and go straight to the race. I would like more races, but the same fate is for road cycling – both road and MTB are gradually being eaten by gravel,“ said V. Jurkevičius.
In the Cycling Marathon Cup stage, participants are invited to complete 1, 2, or 3 laps of the distance, each lap being 26 km long. Gravel race participants will face a separate 93.3 km long route through the particularly scenic surroundings of Ignalina.
„The Ignalina stage of the Cycling Marathon has unequivocally become one of the main summer attractions for us, the people of Ignalina, over its 25 years of existence. I have no doubt that for the participants, who have been coming from all over Lithuania for many years in a row, and for those supporting them, this marathon is not only a competition but also a fun event and a place for old friends to gather,“ described the importance of the event Laimutis Ragaišis, mayor of Ignalina district municipality.
Last season, more than half a thousand participants competed in each stage of the Cycling Marathon Cup, distinguished by a wide age range: in all races, 86-year-old Jonas Vilūnas performed successfully, while the youngest participant in the Ignalina stage was 2 years and 2 months old Arminas, who completed the kindergarten track.
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„I think it is very important that the aura of these races infects the youth with cycling, and the tradition of the races is passed from generation to generation. It is good that both the youngest and older generations can participate in this marathon, and everyone chooses the length of the route according to their strength and endurance. It is pleasing that such races encourage the youth of Ignalina to choose cycling,“ said L. Ragaišis.
Ignalina is considered the winter sports capital of Lithuania, so it is no surprise that the available infrastructure is also used for organizing cycling races.
„It is important for Ignalina that our skiing and biathlon sports infrastructure is suitable for these races as well, so the organizer chooses Ignalina and its surroundings to organize one of the stages. Every year, the organizers prepare a really challenging, rugged, winding route with steep climbs and sharp descents among forests and lakes. Probably this is where the uniqueness and attractiveness of Ignalina lie,“ explained L. Ragaišis.
The Cycling Marathon Cup stage in Ignalina is co-financed by the funds of this district municipality.
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