 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(February 2024) |
The history of cycling in Azerbaijan began in 1930, when bicycles were first imported from Russia.
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(February 2024) |
The history of cycling in Azerbaijan began in 1930, when bicycles were first imported from Russia.
Initially bikes were popular among pupils and students, and in the 1940s they became widely used by almost entire population without exception. The same year the first amateur bicycle race was launched and was held every four years. 10 years later the first professional racers begin to perform in Azerbaijan - Sabzali Museyibov and Zargarli Hussein, who later became a pioneer in the training of professional cyclists Azerbaijan.
In the second half of the 20th century, female cycling has actively developed – both individual tournaments and mixed tournaments were organized for women. In the same period, a mixed team of cyclists from Baku won several local races, and represented Azerbaijan at the Union and trans-Caucasian races.
At the same time, Azerbaijani cyclists took part in the first foreign competitions. New “stars” were lighted- Alkhas Talybov, Aladdin Shabanov, Vladimir Semergey, Alexander Averin and others have successfully performed in different cycle events. Alkhas Talybov, Aladdin Shabanov in these tournaments was awarded with medals and diplomas. We cannot but mention Aladdin Shabanov, who represented Azerbaijan at the races in more than 50 countries and Europe.
After his retirement, Shabanov organized the Museum of Bicycle and bicycling at the Baku State University. The exhibition was composed of materials relating to the history of cycling and a sport both in Azerbaijan and around the world. Some of the artifacts were exhibited during many international competitions, including World and European championships in cycling. Recently, the museum has celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Since the early 1990s, Azerbaijan held many cycling competitions. The championship of Azerbaijan, district and city championships, were organized for the fans by the best riders. In 1991, in honor of the 850th anniversary of the outstanding Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi a 4000 km cycling race between Saint Petersburg and Ganja was held. There were participants from 26 cities of Russia and Azerbaijan.
In 1997, the construction of a modern sport complex was completed, and Azerbaijani national cycling federation was founded.
In 2009, the Central Directorate of Youth and Sport in Baku, Azerbaijan, together with the National Cycling Federation organized a championship of Baku road racing.
In 2011 Tour d’Azerbaïdjan, a cycling tour in memory of national leader Heydar Aliyev "Big Caucasus" was organized, [1] and in 2012 - the tour became an annual event, later transformed into Tour d'Azerbaidjan. Assad Fazil Mammadov was elected as the chairman of the Azerbaijan National Cycling Federation.
The Union Cycliste Internationale is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland.
Cyclo-cross is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter, and consist of many laps of a short course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and obstacles requiring the rider to quickly dismount, carry the bike while navigating the obstruction and remount. Races for senior categories are generally between 40 minutes and an hour long, with the distance varying depending on the ground conditions. The sport is strongest in the traditional road cycling countries such as Belgium, France and the Netherlands.
Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling sports include artistic cycling, cycle polo, freestyle BMX, mountain bike trials, hardcourt bike polo and cycleball. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the world governing body for cycling and international competitive cycling events. The International Human Powered Vehicle Association is the governing body for human-powered vehicles that imposes far fewer restrictions on their design than does the UCI. The UltraMarathon Cycling Association is the governing body for many ultra-distance cycling races.
Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common competition formats are mass start events, where riders start simultaneously and race to a set finish point; and time trials, where individual riders or teams race a course alone against the clock. Stage races or "tours" take multiple days, and consist of several mass-start or time-trial stages ridden consecutively.
The British League of Racing Cyclists (BLRC) was an association formed in 1942 to promote road bicycle racing in Great Britain. It operated in competition with the National Cyclists' Union, a rivalry which lasted until the two merged in 1959 to form the British Cycling Federation.
The National Cyclists' Union (NCU) was an association established in the Guildhall Tavern, London, on 16 February 1878 as the Bicycle Union. Its purpose was to defend cyclists and to organise and regulate bicycle racing in Great Britain. It merged with the Tricycle Association in 1882 and was renamed the National Cyclists' Union in 1883.
The Tour de Pologne, officially abbreviated TdP, is an annual, professional men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in Poland. It consists of seven or eight stages and is usually around 1,200 km in length. The race was first held in 1928 and is considered the oldest and most important bicycle race in Poland.
Mountain bike racing is the competitive cycle sport discipline of mountain biking held on off-road terrain. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) recognised the discipline relatively late in 1990, when it sanctioned the world championships in Durango, Colorado. The first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup series took place in 1988. Its nine-race circuit covered two continents—Europe and North America—and was sponsored by Grundig. Cross-country racing was the only World Cup sport at this time. In 1993, a six-event downhill World Cup was introduced. In 1996, cross-country mountain biking events were added to the Olympic Games. In 2006, cross-country mountain biking events became part of the World Deaf Cycling Championships for the first time in San Francisco, USA.
Matthew Martin Brammeier is a former professional cyclist, who competed professionally between 2006 and 2018 for nine different professional teams. Upon retiring, Brammeier became a coach for British Cycling. He won five titles at the Irish National Cycling Championships, winning the road race four times and the time trial once.
Sport in Belgium plays a prominent role in the society. As of 2010, Belgium counted around 17,000 sport clubs with approximately 1.35 million members, or about 13% of the Belgian population. Popular sports in Belgium are, among others: football, cycling, tennis, table tennis, athletics, swimming, basketball, badminton, judo, hockey, rowing, motocross, auto racing, volleyball, and running. Belgium has organized the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp as well as the 1972 UEFA European Championship and the 2000 UEFA European Championship along with the Netherlands. The Belgium national football team's best result was a 3rd place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and a second place of the 1980 UEFA European Championship. Belgian football clubs have won 3 times the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and twice the UEFA Cup, plus 3 times the UEFA Supercup.
The Turkish Cycling Federation is the national governing body of cycle racing in Turkey. Founded in 1923, its headquarters is located in Ulus quarter of Ankara. Current president of TBF is Emin Müftüoğlu.
The UCI World Championships are annual competitions promoted by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to determine world champion cyclists. They are held in several different styles of racing, in a different country each year. Championship winners wear a white jersey with coloured bands around the chest for the following year. The similarity to the colours of a rainbow gives them the colloquial name of "the rainbow jersey." The first three individuals or teams in each championship win gold, silver and bronze medals. Former world champions are allowed to wear a trim to their collar and sleeves in the same pattern as the rainbow jersey.
The Pakistan Cycling Federation is the national governing body of cycle racing in Pakistan. It was established in 1947 and is currently based in Peshawar.
Markus Eibegger is an Austrian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2007 and 2018. He was the winner of the Austrian National Road Race Championships in 2009.
The Tour de Hongrie is a professional road bicycle stage race organized in Hungary since 1925.
Synergy Baku Cycling Project was an Azerbaijani UCI Continental cycling team managed by Jeremy Hunt and sponsored by Synergy Group.
Tour d'Azerbaïdjan was a 2.1 multi-stage bicycle race of the UCI Europe Tour, which took place in Azerbaijan around May between 2012 and 2017. Each day, participants started on a new phase of the race. The race was held in 7 regions of Azerbaijan and finished in the capital, Baku. Other large cities the race moved through were Oguz, Chamakh, Maraza, Ismayilli, Gabala, Sheki.
Kirill Pozdnyakov is an Azerbaijani former professional racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2013 and 2019 for teams RusVelo, Tarteletto–Isorex and two spells with the Synergy Baku team.
Maksym Averin is a Ukrainian-born Azerbaijani former professional cyclist, who rode professionally in 2004 and from 2012 to 2017, for the Lokomotiv, Amore & Vita, Atlas Personal–Jakroo and Synergy Baku teams. In May 2017, Averin was given a backdated 15-month ban, having tested positive for meldonium the previous December.
The Velopark is a motorsport venue and it is located in the city of Baku, Azerbaijan.
