“I think we are currently experiencing a major sporting celebration.
The race is being held in good conditions and, most importantly, in a safe environment," said Sahib Alakbarov, the First Vice-President of the Azerbaijan Cycling Federation and Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the “Baku–Khankendi” Azerbaijan Cycling Race, during the press conference held in Naftalan after Stage 4.
“The teams are competing very well. We believe that each of the 24 teams participating in this race will want to return here again in the future,” Sahib Alakbarov noted.
According to him, there are many talented young people in the country, and efforts are being made to discover them: “There is also considerable interest in cycling in the regions. There are many talented young people in the country. One of our goals is to discover talented youth in the regions. A week ago, we donated 100 bicycles to Karabakh University in Khankendi. We also have a girls’ cycling club in Mingachevir. Seventy female cyclists are training at the club.”
The First Vice President of the Federation also spoke about competitions organized in the regions: “There are villages in Balakan where people hardly use cars at all. They travel everywhere by bicycle. Ahead of the Novruz holiday, we organized a race there. Despite the cold weather, more than 300 children took part in the competition we organized in Balakan.”
