Tour of Romania cycling race returns with new edition next month

A new edition of the Tour of Romania cycling race will be organized this autumn, between September 11 and September 15. This year, the 707 km route will start in Cluj-Napoca, continue on the TransBucegi road crossing the Bucegi Mountains, and end in Bucharest, offering participants spectacular views.

A total of 20 teams will participate in the race, including teams from Romania, Russia, Poland, Germany, Italy, and the U.S. The approximately 140 cyclists will race for the yellow shirt (awarded to the leader in the general ranking), in five stages.

This year’s route includes some of the most important tourist attractions in the country and passes through the cities of Cluj-Napoca, Sighișoara, Brașov, Focșani, Buzău, Târgoviște, Ploiești, and Bucharest. Moreover, the Tour of Romania is the only race to reach TransBucegi (Babelor Road), the only road in Romania that crosses the Bucegi Mountains, passing by the Babele and Sphinx tourist attractions.

The "Little Loop,” as the event is also known, is included in the European competition calendar of the International Cycling Union, which this year promoted the Romanian competition in the 2.1 category. This means that professional teams participating in the Tour of France or Italy, as well as semi-professional teams, continental and national teams can participate in the Tour of Romania.

The first edition of the Tour of Romania was organized in 1934, Romania being the sixth country in the world to host a national cycling tour.

(Photo source: the organizers)