The Unity Ride () is an annual bicycle race held in

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

. The race was first organized in 1936, endorsed by the President of Latvia, currently run by the Igo Japiņš agency of sport.

History

During the decade of the 1930s

cycling sport 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 ...

in Latvia was very popular. At that time the popularity of the sport was further boosted by the Unity Rides which were endorsed by the President of Latvia Kārlis Ulmanis. The first race was organized in 1936 and 1214 cyclists from all regions of Latvia took part in the first Unity Ride. The ride finished in

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

. The second Unity Ride in 1937, with 1301 participants finished in Jelgava. The Third Unity Ride in 1938 finished in Riga with 1329 competitors while 6225 cyclists competed in fourth - and the last Unity Ride in independent Latvia. This annual event had achieved unprecedented success and had raised the profile of sports nationwide. The biggest champions in these races were Alma Lieģe-Lasi and

Arvīds Immermanis Arvīds Immermanis (9 September 1912 – July 1947) was a Latvian cyclist. He competed in the individual and team road race events at the 1936 Summer Olympics. He competed and finished in first place in four Latvian Cycling championships ...

. In the Unity Ride participants and winners were rewarded with prizes - new bicycles from the biggest bicycle factories at that time - G. Ērenpreis Bicycle Factory, ''Latvello, Lipperts, Omega, Līva'' bicycle factories, as well as cups, medals, special prizes by local municipalities and other. World War II and occupation of Latvia stopped organizing Unity Rides until year 1995, when Unity Ride was renewed. It was initiated by cycling club "Marss" coach Ernests Pūce and supported by the President of Latvia Guntis Ulmanis.

Nowadays

In nowadays the race is divided in three distances -

road racing Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on publ ...

, mountain bike racing and popular ride for families and enthusiasts. In the Unity Ride mostly there are Latvian professional cyclists who participate, but in 2013 worldwide known foreigner cyclists participated: Mark Cavendish,

Rolf Aldag Rolf Aldag (born 25 August 1968 in Beckum, West Germany) is a former professional road bicycle racer who rode for Team Telekom from 1993 to 2005. He raced in 10 Tour de France, 1 Giro d'Italia and 5 Vuelta a España. Prior to joining Telekom, h ...

, Brian Holm and Jaan Kirsipuu.Official results in Unity Ride 2013
www.velo.lv (Accessed February 6, 2015)

References

External links

* {{Official website Cycle races in Latvia Recurring sporting events established in 1936 1936 establishments in Latvia Annual sporting events in Latvia Autumn events in Latvia