The day Greece hit the top!

Today, April 6, 2023, it’s been 20 years since that magical day where Vassilis Anastopoulos became the second Greek to win the Tour of Greece but the first and only one to date to wear the “blue” jersey on the final podium.

It was preceded by the victory of Kanellos Kanellopoulos in the “Antiquities Prize” of 1981, a precursor event of the PPC Cycling Tour of Greece, when the pioneers’ jerseys were still “yellow”.

Vassilis Anastopoulos has dedicated his life to the sport that made him famous, he is now the coach of Soudal-Quickstep, one of the leading World Tour teams, and also a member of the Organizing Committee of the PPC Cycling Tour of Greece, Cycling Greece.

The “beautiful” coincidence is that in this year’s event, which will be held from May 2 to 6, in Crete and the Peloponnese, the Tour in the 2nd stage will pass through Megalopolis, the birthplace of Anastopoulos, bringing to mind those moments of 2003 and the crazy celebrations that followed, rousing the city.

Anastopoulos: Unforgettable what I experienced

“I still remember all the last kilometers of that stage, since we were racing on the same roads where I trained as a child. The moment I crossed the finish line, I will always remember” says Anastopoulos and continues:

“What followed was shocking: the whole city gathered in the square, my childhood friends throwing me in the air, the photo with my parents on the podium, truly incredible images and unique emotions, from what only sports can offer.

I am sure that this year we will enjoy a well-organized and competitively spectacular Tour and I wish that we will celebrate the successes of Greek athletes!”.

The description of the feat

It was Friday, April 4, 2003, when the 2nd stage of the Tour of Greece took place, from Delphi to Nafpaktos, 128 kilometers. They were preceded by the prologue in Athens and the 1st stage from Athens to Distomo. The pioneer of the general was the Australian Russel Van Hout. Approaching the Nafpaktos finish, a group of 21 cyclists (not including Van Hout) had broken away from the peloton by a wide margin. Cleverly positioned in the last meters, Vassilis Anastopoulos (running with the Austrian team Volksbank Ideal) jumped in front of everyone and took the victory, while a little while later, with the bonus seconds he had won, he climbed onto the podium to wear the “blue » jersey.

After the 3rd stage, from Patras to Olympia, Anastopoulos continued to be at the top of the general standings, but the differences were very small: Voulgaros Kirilov followed at 5″, Yannis Tamouridis at 6″ and Chechos Fride at 10″. In total the first 16 cyclists were within just 27″, meaning that nothing had been decided at all.

The 4th and last stage remained, from Olympia to Megalopolis, on Sunday, April 6. During the course, a group of 20 athletes broke away securing a significant time advantage. All the favorites were in the splits and the anxiety was in the red.

The determination of Anastopoulos

It was clear that the bonus seconds would play a decisive role in shaping the final result. Anastopoulos knew this well and was determined to keep the lead and celebrate the victory in his hometown, in front of his fellow citizens, friends and family.

In the sprint to the finish, Friede crossed first, Kirillov second and Vassilis, fist raised, third, taking the precious 4 seconds that kept him in first place in the general classification.

The celebration in Megalopolis had just begun!

The fiesta was moved to the central square, with the whole city gathered to deify the Greek champion and its “worthy child”! The most enthusiastic threw Anastopoulos in the air, the moments of the awarding of the “blue” jersey on the podium remain even now unique and emotional for a Greek cyclist in such a race.

The triumphant Vassilis Anastopoulos posed with his proud parents and he, like Megalopolis, passed forever in the golden pages of the history of the Tour of Greece, now PPC Cycling Tour of Greece, which awaits new triumphs of Greek athletes.