Tour of Greece

International Tour of Hellas

Race details
Date	27th April-1st May 2022
Region	Greece
Local name(s)	Διεθνής Ποδηλατικός Γύρος Ελλάδος (in Greek)
Discipline	Road
Competition
Type	Stage race
History
First edition	1968 (1968)
Final edition	2022 (2022)
First winner	J. Nielsen (DEN)
Most wins	Germany (3) (GER)
Final winner	Robert Vrečer (SLO)

The InternationalTour of Hellas is a road bicycle racing stage race. It consists of five stages and is usually held between April and May. The race was first held in 1968 as «Tour of Ancient Monuments». The race was held sporadically from 1968 until 2012. The international cycling association, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), made International Tour Of Hellas part of the UCI Europe Tour in 2005, and from 2022 the race is part of the UCI upgraded calendar (2.1 category), with the participation of 140 stars of the sport from 20 professional and national teams.

«Cycling Greece» is the organizing committee for the race in collaboration with the «Hellenic Cycling Federation» and the local authorities of the hosting cities.

History[]

The first International Tour Of Hellas was held in 1968 as «Tour of Ancient Monuments». Nikos Kapsokefalos, AEK former athlete and soldier in World War II, envisioned the organization of the first Tour of Hellas, drawing inspiration from the popularity of the Tour De France and the Giro D' Italia knew at that time. Finally, he made it happen with the participation of teams from Europe, the former Soviet Union, Greece, as well as selected teams of athletes represented the local cycling associations. The first stage held on 7th October 1968 (Athens-Delfi, 170 km) and the winner of the first general classification was Gerhard Nielsen from Denmark.

The golden era[]

Thirteen years after the first edition, was held the second. 1981 was the year that Kanellos Kanellopoulos (PO Patras), became the first greek cyclist to win the race. The successes of the greek team continued with the 2nd place won by Vangelis Papadakis (Panathinaikos) and the 3rd taken by the great athlete Elias Kelesidis (Panathinaikos). The race is called «International» and enters the racing calendar of UCI. During the 5th stage Stellios Vaskos (AEK Trikala), finished first the one and only victory of greek cyclist at that edition. Until 1989, when the Tour of Hellas stop's again, big names of cycling visit Greece, like Aisat Saitov, Sergei Sukhoruchenkov, Gintautas Umaras e.t.c.

The special edition of 2003 and the 2012[]

After a lot of problems, International Tour Of Hellas, return's to action at 2002. One year later, the Greek Champion of P.O.Patras, Vassilis Anastopoulos, wins the general classification in the last stage in his hometown, Megalopolis! Until today, he is the only greek athlete has won the blue jersey! Ioannis Tamouridis with SP Tableware was the only one who approached this achievement in the following years, occupying a 3rd (2012) and a 2nd place (2011). The race stop's once more at 2012, due to lack of financial resources and sponsors.

The revival and the expectation[]

Hellas will be at the center of international racing cycling action with the “International Tour of Hellas”, 10 years after the last edition. The Deputy Minister of Culture and Sports, Mr. Lefteris Avgenakis announced the revival of the race by the end of 2021. This is a world-class event that returns to Hellas, aiming to highlight the demanding sport of cycling and, in addition to promote the beauties of the country. The International Tour of Hellas announces the collaboration with Mark Cavendish as the event's official ambassador! This collaboration is another significant success, in the effort made by the Deputy Minister of Sports Mr Lefteris Avgenakis, the organising committee of Cycling Greece and the Hellenic Cycling Federation, for Hellas promotion abroad and its emergence as a top destination for major events.

Classifications[]

Blue Jersey (General Classification) -> The most prestigious classification of the race is the general classification. All of the stages are timed to the finish, after finishing the riders' times are compounded with their previous stage times; so the rider with the lowest aggregate time is the leader of the race. The leader is determined after each stage's conclusion. The leader of the race also has the privilege to wear the race leader's blue jersey. After 5 stages the rider with the lowest aggregate time is the winner.

Green Jersey (King of the Mountains) -> The King of the Mountains is the title given to the best climber in a cycling road race. During mountain stages of the race, points are awarded to the rider who is first to reach the top of each significant climb. Points are also awarded for riders who closely follow the leader up each climb. The number of points awarded varies according to the hill classification, which is determined by the steepness and length of the course. The climbers' jersey is worn by the rider who, at the start of each stage, has the largest number of climbing points. At the end of the tour, the rider holding the most climbing points wins the classification.

Red Jersey (Points) -> The points classification is determined by the points are given at the finish line and at the intermediate sprints of each stage. The red jersey is worn by the rider who at the start of each stage, has the largest number of points. The rider who, at the end of the tour, holds the most points, wins the points competition.

White Jersey (Best Young) -> The Young rider classification is restricted to the riders that are under the age of 25. The leader of the classification is determined the same way as the general classification, with the riders' times being added up after each stage and the eligible rider with lowest aggregate time is dubbed the leader.

Past winners[]

By Country[]

External links[]

• Official Website International Tour of Hellas
• The latest news about the race
  

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