Borislav Hadzhistoyanov claimed victory at the inaugural UCI Gran Fondo Bulgaria on Sunday, riding clear over the closing kilometres of a demanding 140km route through the Rhodope Mountains and then out-sprinting his breakaway companion to win in 03:45:21.
Riding for PSKK Vassil-Levski, the 20-year-old reigning national U23 time trial champion edged compatriot Borislav Palashev, who crossed the line alongside him on the same time. Yordan Petrov completed the podium, two minutes 37 seconds back, as the front group split apart on the race’s signature climb — a 21.6km ascent to 1,337m that organisers had flagged as the decisive test of the day.
The course, looping out from Velingrad around the Batak Reservoir before two long descents brought the field home, lived up to its billing. Gaps opened steadily through the chase group, with the top ten finishers separated by more than ten minutes across the brutal terrain.
Britain’s Bel Levene won the women’s Gran Fondo, finishing the full 140km route in 04:41:44.
In the 70km Medio Fondo, 17 year-old junior rider Kalin Angelov took the win in 01:48:37, just edging Turkey’s Mutlu Erçevik in a tight photo-finish sprint. Ivan Hristev rounded out the podium one second back. Yoana Valkanova topped the women’s field in 01:51:13.
Granfondo Bulgaria marks the country’s first-ever UCI Gran Fondo World Championship qualifier, with top finishers in each age category securing spots at the 2026 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Niseko, Japan this August.
UCI Gran Fondo Bulgaria results HERE
Photo Credit: Община Велинград
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