The Cycling Federation of Azerbaijan is proud to announce that the UCI 2.1 five-day Tour d’Azerbaidjan stage race will take place again in 2015 and that the dates have been confirmed by the International Cycling Union (UCI). The race will start on May 6 in Baku and finish on May 10 in Baku.

This will be the fourth edition of the event, which started in 2012 as the Heydar Aliyev Anniversary Tour (U23) and was held in 2013 and 2014 under its current name, the Tour d’Azerbaidjan. The 2014 race saw Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) win the general classification and Kenny van Hummel (NED), Primož Roglič (SLO), Youcef Reguigui (ALG), Linus Gerdemann (GER) and Justin Jules (FRA) take the stage wins.

“I am sure we will see another great sporting spectacle next year in Azerbaijan,” said Sahib Alakbarov, head of the organizing committee and vice president of the Cycling Federation of Azerbaijan. “From the beginning of our cycling project, our objective was to represent Azeri sport at the highest level, and this race is an important part of that project. It is a great way to show our country to the world and to teach our country more about this beautiful sport. Other important pillars in this process are the Synergy Baku Cycling Project (a UCI Continental Team), which we will continue in 2015, and the development of the structure of the national federation.

“It is great to see that cycling is growing each year here in Azerbaijan as a result of our work in the past. We hope that the sport will continue to grow and that the race, the federation and the team will enable more and more Azeri riders to represent Azerbaijan successfully.”

2015 European Games
A few changes will be made to the route plan for 2015 due to the upcoming 2015 European Games, which will be held from June 12 to 28, 2015. Because the European Games canoe sprint race will take place in Mingachevir, the Cycling Federation of Azerbaijan is considering drawing public attention to the area by diverting the route of the Tour d’Azerbaidjan into that region. Both the time trial and the road race in the European Games will be held on the route of stage 5 in Baku.

“After the Tour d’Azerbaidjan 2014, the president of the European Cycling Union, David Lappartien, sent a letter to the president of the Cycling Federation of Azerbaijan, Fazil Mammadov, praising stage 5 of the Tour d’Azerbaidjan, which showcased Baku’s modern and historical background,” said Alekbarov. “In the letter, Mr. Lappartien said that the experts who had reviewed the course concluded that it would be ideal for the road race during the 2015 European Games.”