Other events in Baltic States

This Sunday, 24 May, a high-level cycling competition and a daylong event for all the cycling fans will take place in the Ķekava Municipality — the Ķekava Cycling Marathon. Currently, 2000 people from all over the Baltics have already registered for the event. Among them, there is Jaan Kirsipuu, the legendary Estonian cyclist, who participated in several Tour de France competitions; Gatis Smukulis — one of the most promising Latvian cyclists, who has already participated in a number of international events; Paulius Šiškevičus — the Lithuanian cycling champion.

Lauris Špillers, the head of Alpha Baltic: ‘The Ķekava Cycling Marathon is a unique event for Latvia — its track is comparable to that of the famous Paris–Roubaix one-day race, as it will be laid along paved as well as gravel roads. The track will be a challenge not only for cycling enthusiasts, but also for professional athletes. Taking into account the professional athletes joining the event and its programme, its guests will be able to see a truly captivating race and enjoyably spend the day.

The Ķekava Cycling Marathon made its debut among top sports events a year ago, with about 2000 cyclists joining the first marathon. This year, more cyclists —not just from Latvia, but also Estonia and Lithuania— plan to participate in the races. Jaan Kirsipuu, the Estonian cycling legend, multiple Tour de France race participant and four stage winner, will be a guest of honour among them. A part of the junior cycling team he manages will join the Ķekava Cycling Marathon together with him. Apart from Jaan Kirsipuu, there will be the local cycling talent Gatis Smukulis, who has already participated in several global tournaments, including Tour de France, and the Lithuanian cycling champion Paulius Šiškevičus, who currently represents an international cycling team in Ireland.

The Ķekava Cycling Marathon will be not be just a high-level athletic competition, it will be an event for the entire family. PF Ķekava, the friendly team of the private kindergarten ‘Raibā Pupa’ as well as the other sponsors will take care of the extensive entertainment programme for children and adults. Children will be offered blow-up amusements, relay races and the exciting orbiton, while their parents will be able to join the tasting of various PF Ķekava products and win prizes from the sponsors of the marathon.

Every participant is welcome to choose the most suitable route: The Sports route (125 km) is designed for certified cyclists, while the Popular route (45 km) is for cycling enthusiasts. The most creative and attractive families in Latvia are invited to join the Family route (10 km), while the race on the Children’s route (0,5—1 km) will establish the fastest among the different age categories of young cyclists.

The event is organised by Alpha Baltic Sport and sponsored by AS ‘Putnu fabrika Ķekava’, the Ķekava Municipality and the Latvian Cycling Federation. The organisers and sponsors of the event have prepared a large prize fund totalling more than 10,000 EUR: every hundredth participant on the Sports and the Popular routes will receive a 100 EUR prize.

Registration for the Ķekava Cycling Marathon will be available until 21 May (!) at www.maratoni.lv.  The participation fee for those who register in advance will be 9 EUR for the Family route and 13 EUR for the Sports and Popular routes, while participating in the race on the Children’s route is free of charge. Registration for the routes will be available on the day and at the place of the event, for an increased fee.