Greece’s line-up for the Round: Arvanitou-Giannoutsos-Drakos-Ilias-Tzortzakis-Vila, with substitutes Douza, Kortsidakis and Zeglis
The Cyprus National Team was also announced with last year’s mountain jersey winner Andreas Miltiadis!
The names of the athletes that make up the two National teams participating in the PPC International Cycling Tour of Greece 2024 (May 15-19), Greece and Cyprus, have been announced!
The Greek team consists of the following athletes:
– Nikiforos Arvanitou (A.O THESEAS)
– Miltiadis Giannoutsos (AEOLOS)
– Nikolaos Michael Drakos (A.O. THESEAS)
– Pericles Ilias (CRONOS NICAIA)
– Polychronis Tzortzakis (TALOS)
– Emiliano Vila (ASPTT Nancy)
Substitutes
– Dionysis Douzas (PGS LARISSAS)
– Michael Kortsidakis (TALOS)
– Nikolaos Zeglis (P.O. KARDITSAS)
Nikiforos Arvanitou: “With team spirit & full attack”
“This is my 3rd consecutive participation in the PPC International Cycling Tour of Greece and for this reason, I feel very happy. We must not forget that this is the most important domestic cycling event. The fact that I will compete in the company of excellent and experienced athletes, with whom we have been working together for the last few years and have developed a very nice atmosphere, with a dominant element of teamwork, gives me great joy. Through the latter, we managed to secure qualification for the Paris Olympic Games. I wish good success to all the children of our National Team and I believe that we will represent our country worthily”!
Our national team this season
Until now, in 2024, the Greek National Team has taken part in four international competitions. The season started at the Tour of Sharjah (United Arab Emirates), where Arvanitou, Drakos, Giannoutsos, Soulios, Moutsios and Douzas performed very well, finishing 11th in the team standings. In addition, he had two cyclists in the top 10 of the best young athlete ranking (5th Drakos, 7th Arvanitou), while he managed to get a top ten finish in the opening stage.
Afterwards, our National Team took part in the three international competitions of Rhodes, completing its presence there with the participation in the International Tour of Rhodes. Pericles Ilias had the best placing in the general classification (37th), while he also had the best finish in a stage for the Greek team, being 5th in the opening prologue of the individual time trial. Nikos Drakos (58th), Polychronis Tjortzakis (62nd), Nikiforos Arvanitou (96th) and Dionysis Douzas (107th) followed.
In the other two races on the Island of the Knights, the performance of Giorgos Bouglas, who finished the two-day round Visit South Aegean Islands in 14th place in the general classification, as well as the 10th place of Nikos Drakos in the Grand Prix of Rhodes, stood out.
The Cyprus National Team
The federal coach, Anestis Kourbetis, has come up with the cyclists he believes have the greatest degree of readiness and can meet the demands of the race. In addition to the coach, the delegation will be accompanied by the Superintendent of National Teams, Stavros Georgiou.
The team consists of the athletes:
– Andreas Miltiadis
– Christodoulos Achas
– George Kouzis
– Alexander Matsangos
– Konstantinos Pavlidis
– Bogdan Zabelinsky
The 2024 results
So far, this season, the Cyprus National Team has participated in two international matches, on Greek soil, in Rhodes. At the Rhodes Grand Prix (1.2 kt.), Andreas Miltiadis had the best placing, taking 6th place in the mass sprint.
In the International Tour of Rhodes that followed, the 27-year-old Terengganu Cycling Team cyclist retired due to discomfort after a fall and while up to that moment he was in the top ten of the general classification. Giorgos Kouzis finished in 76th place, Konstantinos Pavlidis in 84th and Alexandros Matsangos in 108th.
The competition report of the Tour of Greece 2023
The presence of the Cyprus National Team in last year’s event is considered more than positive. In the general classification, Andreas Miltiadis took 6th place after an excellent effort, while he also won the jersey of the mountains with 26 points, through his presence twice in the main breakaway.
The best individual finish came in Heraklion, in the individual time trial prologue to the opening, with Miltiadis taking 4th place, 14 seconds behind winner Aaron Gate.
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