Gabriel Grozev claimed overall victory at the fourth edition of L’Etape Bulgaria — part of the worldwide L’Etape by Tour de France series — on Sunday, winning the 112km gran fondo through the Rhodope Mountains against a strong home field.
Grozev crossed the line in 03:02:34, holding off compatriot and 2024 champion Teodor Rusev by 2 minutes 23 seconds. The victory capped a strong few weeks for Grozev, who finished third in the elite men’s time trial and sixth in the road race at the Bulgarian National Championships just a week earlier — form that clearly carried over to Sunday’s climbs.
Borislav Hadzhistoyanov completed the men’s podium in third, while Petar Dashev and Georgi Kosanov rounded out the top five after a tight sprint for fourth. Romania’s Bogdan Ivanovici was the highest-placed international finisher in seventh.
In the women’s gran fondo, Yoana Valkanova led the way home in 03:39:27, finishing 40th overall on a course featuring repeated timed climbs and sprint sectors.
On the shorter 58km medio fondo route, Koycho Shivikov claimed the men’s title in 01:38:30, beating Rostislav Kostadinov by 2 minutes 20 seconds, with Kalin Angelov finishing third.
Viktoria Danova won the women’s 58km race outright, finishing 43rd overall in 01:57:00 — well clear of Bogomila Katsarska by 7 minutes 1 second, with Radost Ivanova taking third. Danova is a former Bulgarian national road race champion and has recorded six additional podium finishes at the national championships, making her one of the pre-race favourites.
A total of 1,240 cyclists participated in the fourth edition of L’Etape Bulgaria, with the top three men and women on the 112km route earning a coveted starting bib for L’Etape du Tour, the one-day amateur event held on Sunday 19 July as part of the Tour de France.
Photo Credit: pzdnes.com
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