Russia’s Pavel Brutt cycles to victory in Int’l Tour of Greece

Global cycling event in this country draws praise and gains popularity

Cyclists on the 16th Tour of Greece, which ended Sunday, leave the Rio-Antirio bridge behind them and ride on to the Peloponnese.

Russian cyclist Pavel Brutt was the winner of the 16th International Tour of Greece, which ended on Sunday at the southern city of Sparta after five tough days on Greek roads.

The rider for the Tinkoff team beat Bulgarian Vladimir Koev, of the Hemus 1896 team, by just three seconds after 722.8 kilometers around Greece in this increasingly popular event.

Third was the Czech Rene Andrle of Whirlpool Hradec Kralove, six minutes behind the winner.

Brutt took the lead from Stage 2 on Thursday and did particularly well in the sprint battles.

However Koev fought back in Sunday’s final stage from Ancient Olympia to Sparta, which he won, almost closing the gap with his Russian rival.

The Greeks were happy to see young Pericles Ilias climb to 12th position and to third in the under-23 category. Ilias’s victory was seen as proof that local riders can play a leading role in the tour’s future.

The International Tour of Greece, aided by the good weather, drew many attendees, including thousands of Greeks.

The organization of the event satisfied the commissary of the International Cycling Union (UCI), Marek Koszinski, who branded it a “great tour of high standards.”