Carpathian Couriers Race 2014 starts tomorrow!

 Veszprem, Hungary. The sun is slowly going down, warm gusts of wind from Balaton lake slowly get colder, as the night begins to fall. Despite late hour the city is still full of life. Hotels are under siege, driving a car is not the best idea. It’s better to cycle, oh wait, everyone does. 

Bikes, bikes everywhere. Minivans, cars, all in different colours, all with bikes attatched to the top. A bunch of skinny boys in colorful spandex outfits hanging out in a cafe. Cracking jokes, talking and smiling to waitresses. Another group shows up – they have just come back from training ride and are looking forward to the dinner. They all come from different countries, speak different languages and don’t really know each other. But they are here for one reason and have two things in common – each one of them loves racing bikes and dreams of becoming a professional bike rider in the future.

Here is their chance. Possibility to get a result, demonstrate the potential and attract attention. The biggest stage race for U-23 riders in Central Europe is about to start. For the 6th time young riders sign the list and challenge hilly parcours of Carpathian Couriers Race.

This year the race is organized under aegis of Polish Foreign Affairs Minister – Radosław Sikorski. The event also honours Jan Karski – Polish resistance movement courier, an emissary, who travelled through occupied Europe, during Second World War, to the United Kingdom and the USA, to tell the truth about Holocaust and Nazi concentration camps in Poland.

Six days of racing, over 700 kilometers. The peloton visits four countries – members of Visegrad Group – Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Poland. The route is demanding – lots of climbing, one steep uphill finish and a 30km long time trial. There is an opportunity for everyone – sprinters, climbers, puncheurs, GC contenders. The field gets stronger every year – 6th edition hosts 35 teams, including 15 UCI Continental squads.

Last year it was Stefan Poutsma, who managed to hang on to the overall lead, having previously claimed a stage victory ahead of the bunch. This year, things get a lot more complicated, as the peloton is bigger and the time trial is about to set the general classification on a third day.

Who will it be this time? A time-triallist? A climber? An all-rounder? We have no idea. But next week will be full of emotions and great racing.