More than two thousand people took part in the 39th International Bicycle Rally "100 km along the Belt of Glory in 10 hours". Traditionally, the event was held on foot and by bike.
For the second time in a row, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Odessa Velosotka is held in the fall. Meanwhile, such an action is usually held from April 10 to 11, as it is timed to the Day of Liberation of Odessa from the German-Romanian invaders.
The grand opening of Odessa Veloralla took place on the Alley of Glory in Shevchenko Park. Before the start, the participants traditionally laid flowers at the monument to the Unknown Sailor.
"This is a unique event because it combines a sports component, a patriotic component, and a local history component. We specially placed the stops on the route near the memorials to the soldiers who died during the liberation of the hero city of Odessa," said the head of the organizing committee, Dmitry Voloshenkov.
Odesa Velosotka has been uniting not only Ukrainian cyclists, but also participants from other countries for almost 40 years. This year, in addition to Ukrainians, athletes from three countries - the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden - came to participate in the marathon.
Both professional cyclists and just two-wheeled transport enthusiasts take part in the competition. 63-year-old Vladimir Andreevich considers himself a "professional". The man has long since acquired an electric bicycle, on which you can travel long distances without getting tired.
"I've been participating for the 4th time in a row, so 100 km is not scary for me. I drove more," says the man.
Each participant has his own route sheet, on which marks are placed at control points of the route. That's the only way the organizing committee will know that a person really covered the entire route. In addition to the marks, warm tea awaited athletes in the village of Mirnoye, delicious borscht in Maryanovka, and porridge at KP-2 of the village of Dalnyk.
It was also possible to run or walk a distance of 100 km. There were about 4 hundred such participants on foot. For example, Lyudmila from Odessa covered 15 km with the help of Scandinavian walking.
"My body is such that I need to do sports. In addition, I am a teacher. My children are always oriented towards me. I should be an example for them," said the girl.
The large-scale event was held with the support of Euroterminal LLC. For the fifth year in a row, the company is one of the main sponsors of the Odessa Velosotka. The organization's social projects are aimed at developing sports, supporting ecology and history.
"Our help in organizing the Veloralla is a contribution to the development of sports, environmental protection and preservation of the memory of the defenders of our hero city. We value our friendship with the organizing committee of Velosotka and it is a great honor for us to be involved in such events," company representatives noted.
In the second half of the day, Veloralla participants were traditionally met at the finish line at the Memorial of the 411th Battery. Vitaly Feremyk became the winner. He drove 100 km in 2 hours and 20 minutes. Maxim Yakushev overcame the distance in second place. Dmytro Arkhinov is in third place.
Each participant was awarded a medal, as well as gifts from sponsors. In addition to congratulations, an exclusive cake from the Euroterminal company awaited the riders at the finish line.
The event was held with the support of the Odesa Regional State Administration.
