BIKE RIDE FOR HISTORY

The first international sporting event took place in the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, Shusha. The International Dear Shusha Bike Ride began in Baku on July 9 and ended in Shusha on the next day.

The first stage of the tournament organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan Cycling Federation (ACF) and the Shusha City State Reserve Department kicked off in the Pirallahi district of Baku near the Narakand Park. At the opening ceremony, 75 athletes from 13 teams from eight countries—Azerbaijan, Turkey, UK, Romania, Georgia, Mongolia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan—were presented to the participants of the event. ACF President and Minister of Defence Industry of Azerbaijan Madat Guliyev conveyed the greetings of President Ilham Aliyev to the competitors and wished them success. He noted that one of the main goals of the rally was to encourage young people to take part in international competitions and to unite more closely around the world family of cycling.

In the first stage, the athletes competed in an individual road cycling race over a distance of 21km. The cyclist who showed the highest result in this event was Elchin Asadov, captain of the Azerbaijani team and member of the Turkish continental Sakarya BB Pro Team. Having finished the race in 26m and 18s, he won the gold medal and made it to the top of the podium. Another member of the national team, Musa Mikayilzade (26:31) got the silver medal, while Sergey Tsvetkov of the Romanian CSA Steau Cycling Team (26:58) became the third best. At the end of the first stage, Elchin Asadov was awarded a traditional yellow jersey as the leader of the race.

The second stage of the cycling tournament began in Fuzuli attended by all the 75 athletes. This stage started at the Fuzuli Airport and continued to the Garabagh Hotel in Shusha. This time, the athletes tried their luck in a 71km group road cycling race along the Victory Road, built on the instructions of the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Elchin Asadov was once again the fastest cyclist to win the gold medal, followed by Akramjon Sunnatov (Tashkent City, Uzbekistan) and Iderbold Bold of Mongolia (bronze). Thus, Elchin Asadov was awarded another yellow jersey for leading the race.

At the end of the two-day competition, the Turkish club Sakarya BB Pro Team became the best in the team programme, followed by Uzbekistan's Tashkent City and the Mongolian team.

At the awards ceremony held in front of the Shusha Fortress, Madat Guliyev handed the keys to a three-room flat to the winner of the tournament, Elchin Asadov, on behalf of the Azerbaijan Cycling Federation.

Making history

Dear Shusha made history as the first international sporting event in Shusha. Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov promised that the tournament will become a tradition held annually: "The first international tournament in Shusha was held at a high level. I want to thank the Azerbaijani Cycling Federation, partners, volunteers, and in general all those who have contributed. Heroes of Azerbaijan covered a very hard path to reach and liberate Shusha with courage. May Allah have mercy on our martyrs. I think these competitions can well be turned to a tradition. We discussed this with Madat Guliyev, president of the Azerbaijan Cycling Federation. We intend to continue this tradition. Both local and international competitions will take place in Shusha and other cities and towns of Garabagh.”

Elchin Asadov, the winner of the cycling race, said that first place in the competition was his goal: "I promised myself that I would be the winner of the competition. I did what I believed in. May Allah have mercy on all our martyrs. I wish our Supreme Commander-in-Chief and veterans good health. The Iron Fist is always vigilant. Our young generation demonstrated this. It is a great honour and joy to be the winner of this tournament.”

The 35-year-old Asadov has not ruled out ending his sporting career by the end of the year: "It will depend on my contracts. If there is a long-term offer, there is a chance to continue. But currently I’m thinking of finishing my career. And there couldn't be a better time for that."

Future plans

The organisers of the race plan to attract even more athletes to next year's competition in Shusha. ACF president Madat Guliyev suggested that competitions could also be held in other regions of Garabagh: "We have plans to organise such tournaments every year. The Victory Road is very interesting for professional cyclists. The elevation on the 71km road is about 2450m, which attracts athletes.

"Today it is impossible not to remember national leader Heydar Aliyev. His soul is here. Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev is successfully continuing the policy of the great leader. As a result, our president returned our lands in 2020 within 44 days. An excellent infrastructure has been prepared here in a short time. Representatives of different countries also noted that the road was very good. The Victory Road tournament laid by President Ilham Aliyev will remain in the memory of our people and international cycling for a long time," Mr. Guliyev said.