The Hungarian segment of the fifth V4 International Bicycle Race took place on 22 April. At the opening ceremony Ms Krisztina Varju, Ministerial Commissioner for the Hungarian Presidency of the Visegrad Group 2017-18, highlighted the significance of Visegrad Cooperation and underlined that Hungary’s Presidency in the V4, starting in July, will focus on improving infrastructural, economic and people-to-people connectivity in the region.
The annual V4 Bicycle Race, with four individual stages in the four countries, has been organised every year since 2013 with the support of the International Visegrad Fund. As in the previous years, the Hungarian segment of the race this year was realised with the collaboration of various partners including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary.
Ministerial Commissioner Krisztina Varju underlined the importance of Visegrad Group and the positive role it plays in Europe, as well as the common challenges the four countries face.
She highlighted how essential social and sport events like the V4 Bicycle Race can be in fostering civil cooperation in the region and presenting the success of the V4 political cooperation in everyday life. The opening speeches were followed by the ribbon cutting ceremony, performed by Ms Varju and the Ambassadors of the V4 countries in Hungary.
The 173.7 km long Hungarian segment, completed by 149 competitors, was launched in the presence of cycling legends László Bodrogi and Nico Mattan.
The race was won by Kamil Zieliński (Poland); Viktor Filutás the best among Hungarian cyclists, finished 28. The V4 Bicycle Race continues with the Slovak and Czech stages, ending in Poland on 17 September, 2017.