Smiltenes Kauss Promises Fierce Competition and Valuable Prizes
This Saturday, the traditional Smiltenes Kauss cycling event will take place in Smiltene, featuring a main race with participants from the Baltic states competing for €250 and a cobblestone trophy, alongside the Latvian championships for youth groups.
This Saturday, July 26, the annual Smiltenes Kauss cycling event will be held in Smiltene, drawing participants from all three Baltic countries. The highlight of the event will be the Dako Ziemeļvidzeme sports race covering 102 kilometers, starting at 11:00 AM. Riders will head from Smiltene to Strenči, then to Valka, before returning to Smiltene for a final lap that concludes with a 450-meter cobblestone climb. The winner will receive €250 and the historic Smiltene cobblestone trophy.
Among the favorites are Latvian U23 champion Olivers Jēkabs Skrapcis from the Energus team, and Ģirts Harkins, who has recently represented Latvia in the Tour of Lithuania and Tour of Estonia races, and rides for the French club CC Villeneuve Saint Germain. Also competing are last year's winner Mark Jākobsons and world vice-champion in the Masters 50–54 category Ģirts Vēvers. The expected finish time is around 1:10 PM.
Youth Championships and Other Races
The event also includes the Latvian championship in the group race for youth categories M12, W12, M14, and W14, with winners receiving a cobblestone trophy. Local favorites Roberts Plūme, Kārlis Judins, and Edžus Klieders will face competitors from sports schools in Talsi, Rīga, Kuldīga, Dobele, and Ķekava.
The youth races also count as the fifth stage of the Cerību kauss series. In the M16 category, local rider Roberts Judins will start with the leader's yellow jersey, facing competition from Edvards Vēvers, Oskars Pauls Štrauhmanis, Gustavs Patriks Cīrulis, and others.
International Participation
Smiltenes Kauss is part of the Baltic Cup calendar, which has attracted talented Lithuanian junior Augustas Mikutis, who won a World Nations Cup event in Spain this season. In total, five different races are scheduled throughout the day, catering to cyclists of all ages and skill levels, emphasizing the event's traditions – revived eight years ago but with origins dating back to the 1960s. The start and finish remain on the famous cobblestone hill in Smiltene.
