Plovdiv hosts the European Cycling Championships for the first time

Bachkovo spring water once again lent a hand and took care of the competitors’ hydration.

Historically, this is the biggest international cycling event in Bulgaria, surpassing in scale and importance the European Road Championships held in Sofia in 2007. Awarding this hosting is also an undoubted gesture of trust in the newly formed Bulgarian Cycling Federation, which only recently became a full member of the Union Cycliste Internationale. The competition is the last test for the riders before the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. More than 200 riders from 22 countries took part in 11 disciplines for men and women respectively: sprint; keirin; team sprint; 1 km time trial (1 km TT) / 500 m time trial (500 m TT) for women; 4 km team pursuit; 4 km individual pursuit; 3 km individual pursuit for women; points race; scratch; madison; omnium and elimination.