“Elektrum” Vienības race, which is the most ambitious cycling event in Latvia, took place over two days for the third year in a row. On Saturday, several hundreds of small pedal riders, in excellent weather conditions, participated in the children’s Unity trip. Every participant got the prizes.
The climax was reached on Sunday. A warm, exciting and very patriotic atmosphere reigned on the festive square. Anyone who wanted to ride could choose one of four distances. By far the most massive was the People’s Highway trip. Before that, the participants were addressed by the head of the Sports Department of the Ministry of Education and Science, Aleksandrs Samoilovs, and the starting shot was fired by the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, who also started the distance, in the company of the president of the Latvian Cycling Federation, Sandi Ākis, successfully completing the 49-kilometer track.
The distance led from Sigulda to Sēnītis, Murjānai, Loja, Sēja, Ragana and Turaida. Special attention was paid to safety. Thus, warning signs and whistles were placed on Turaida Hill. Work groups, friends’ companies, families and passionate bike lovers took part in the trip. The victories in the absolute ratings were achieved by the athlete of “Roadex” team Įrts Cirvelis and Renāte Rodionova representing “ĀdažiVelo”, who finished in front of the leading group. Cirvelis left behind “Velo Saldus” representative Haraldas Strādnieks, as well as “NN Sporta klubs/ RRS” cyclist Everts Meijers, who together with Renata Rodionova became the kings of the mountains. For ladies, young Laura Klismete and Ieva Jurēviča (both “RRS”) also made it to TOP3.
The participants of the sports road trip covered a 99-kilometer long and very exciting distance through Līgatni, Mori, Mālpili, Inčukalna, Murjānai, Ragana and Turaida. Cyclists returned to Sigulda after conquering the Gauja mountain. There was also a small gravel sector on the track. In the men’s competition, together with the Estonian athlete Karla Patrikas Lauja, there was Alexs Krast from Ogre. Unfortunately, Krasta was hit by technical difficulties, which prevented him from fighting with Lauka. At the finish line, Karl Patriks Lauk rode in proud solitude. Meanwhile, Kārlis Klismets, the cyclist of the “Energus” team, was the fastest in the fight for second place, who broke away from Gusta Lapiņš and Gert Kivistik at the end of the Gauja hill. Meanwhile, Latvian junior champion Olivers Jēkabs Skrapcis was the fastest in the junior competition.
For the ladies, Krista Pūcīte, the driver of the “Roadex” unit, took the victory, followed by the Latvian amateur champion from “Dobeles dzirnavnieks/ FeelFree” Anita Antone and the representative of “LiVelo” Lāsma Elza Vaivode. “ZZK AP Print” won the team evaluation, “Dobeles zirnavnieks/ FeelFree” came second, and “VeloLifestyle/ Smiltenes BJSS” came third.
In the 40-kilometer mountain two-wheel marathon, which this year led past Lorupi, Gauja, Murjānai, Krimulda and Turaida, Sandijs Kļaviņš, the representative of Ogres Velokomanda, and Gints Jakovels, the rider of LMT, were in the lead for a large part of the distance. In the final part, Kļaviņš pulled away and celebrated a solo victory. Gintas took the high second place, while the TOP3 was completed by the representative of “Velohooligans/Ķeizari-1” Oskars Ārgalis. Evelina Ermane-Marčenko (“DTG – MySport”, who overtook second place winner Beati Kovgeri (“EMU”) in the 40-kilometer distance, won the women’s race. Meanwhile, Amanda Reilija Zariņa (“Giant & Liv team Latvia”) took third place.
The funniest and most relaxed was the Fun Ride. The participants could choose between two different distances – to drive only on asphalt or on slightly dirt roads. The organizers awarded the most stylishly dressed participants in both male and female categories. Ernests Pūce also participated in this trip, whose initiative in 1995 made it possible to restore this grandiose event.
“Elektrum” and “Rīgas Satiksme” became the largest collectives. Larger families and municipalities were also welcomed. At the end of the event, a raffle of a new bicycle organized by the company “ZZK” was held.
2024-08-27 20:11:31