This week: Giro d’Italia to start from Budapest

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Annual cycling race Giro d’Italia will set off from Budapest on Friday, with its first three stages taking place in Hungary.

The competitors will include Hungary’s Erik Fetter (EOLO-Kometa), Barnabás Peak (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux), and Attila Valter (Groupama-FDJ).

The teams will be presented in a celebration in Heroes’ Square on Wednesday afternoon, while the actual race will start with a 195km stage via Székesfehérvár and Esztergom to Visegrád on Friday, to be followed with a 9.2km time session in the heart of Budapest, from Heroes’ Square to Buda Castle, on Saturday.

The last stage in Hungary will start from Kaposvár, in south-western Hungary, on Sunday, with the cyclists covering 201 km through Nagykanizsa, Badacsony and Tihany to Balatonfüred.

Budapest transport company BKK said in a statement that Heroes’ Square, as well as a part of the City Park, surrounding streets and a section of Andrássy Avenue will be closed to traffic from 3pm to midnight on Wednesday.

Hungary was to have hosted the “Grande Partenza” of the 2020 Giro d’Italia, but the race was postponed because of the pandemic.