“The whole route will be conditioned to what happens at the Ku00e9kestetu00f6”

The Tour of Hungary confirmed that its 2020 edition, initially planned after the Grande Partenza of Giro de Italia from Budapest, will be held definitively between 29 August and 2 September. The Magyar race was one of the first events that announced its postponement due to the stop caused by the coronavirus pandemic, at which time it already showed its intention to jump onto the roads in the face of autumn.

It will be, however, during the summer. And with a route essentially the same as that announced at the beginning of the year, although with variations in the order of stages and some slight adjustments in the mileage. The Tour of Hungary will go from the 861 kilometers it had at the February presentation to 817. And it will start from Esztergom, on the banks of the Danube and next to the border with Slovakia: originally the last stage, it will now be the first.

The race will conclude with these changes to the country’s roof. Mount Kékestetö will host the end of a race that will most likely be decided on its slopes. Hungarian Kometa-Xstra Cycling Team rider Márton Dina, who finished second overall last year, believes this change will have an influence on the development of the race.

“The first stage will be more massive than expected. As it is the first stage, the whole bunch arrives fresh. The hill of the circuit is not particularly hard and it is possible that many fast men can pass it. It used to be located on the last day, it is always influenced by the accumulation of the previous days, it is possible that more people will give way on the hill and even changes in the general can be seen”, says Dina. “With these changes the whole route will be conditioned to what happens at the Kékestetö. And there’s always the possibility that wind may appear on the flat stages, although I really think it’s a smaller possibility for those dates”.

“Thinking about a rider like Märton Dina and the interests of the team, I think these changes are good for us. Märton is a very diesel rider and in that sense the later the stage is the better for him. The fact that the high finish is on the last day benefits us. A priori always. Because anyway we also have to wait to know the participating teams, the chosen riders and also see how we focus the objectives”, contributes the director Jesús Hernández.

(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)