site.bta22 Teams to Compete at 71st Cycling Tour of Bulgaria

Four Bulgarian and eighteen foreign teams will take part in the 71st Tour of Bulgaria, which will take place from August 24 to 29, said the organizers from the Bulgarian Cycling Federation at a press conference on Wednesday.

This year's edition of the event will also mark 100 years since its first run, making the Tour of Bulgaria the fourth oldest in Europe, after those of France, Italy and Belgium.

Traditionally, the tour will start with a warm-up around the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia on Saturday, while the first actual stage will take place on Sunday, as the 22 teams compete along the 161.5 kilometres from Sofia to Troyan (north-central Bulgaria). Afterwards the competitors will cycle in three stages from Troyan to Kazanlak (central Bulgaria), Burgas (on the Black Sea), Primorsko (on the Black Sea) and Sliven (Southeast Bulgaria), before finishing in Gabrovo (central Bulgaria).

The Tour of Bulgaria retains its category from the last editions, which is 2.2 according to the standardization of the International Cycling Union, with a prize fund of about EUR 25,000.