Organization and carrying out of activities in our country dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Kazakh cycling, intensified cycling movement across the country and become a powerful incentive for the education of patriotism, the development of mass sports movement, the organization of socially significant events and initiatives.

At the beginning of August in the picturesque countryside of East Kazakhstan region one of the most popular and prestigious cycling race in the schedule starts for the 45th time - Kazakhstan Schoolboy - 2014, dedicated to the anniversary.

Born 44 years ago on the initiative of the Republican junior high sports school of the Ministry of Public Education of the Kazakh SSR, and in 2002 conducted by the National Scientific and Practical Centre of Physical Education MES RK together with the Kazakhstan Cycling Federation, this race was a good school for the preparation of a very promising reserve not only for our but also for other countries.

Indeed, over the years its participants were junior teams from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and the cities of Moscow, Sumgait, Barnaul, Omsk, Chelyabinsk ...

The popularity of competitions gave it an extended and very difficult route: a nine-day marathon - a difficult test even for adults, experienced athletes, not to mention about the high school students. It often happened that completely "fresh", inexperienced athletes were out to the first stage, and by the end of the race they became already almost "pros" of the highways.

Permanent director of the competition - honored coach of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the honored teacher of Kazakhstan Alexander Antyshev. Over the years, the marathon cycling race Kazakhstan Schoolboy was attended by 6 348 athletes (144 participants average per year). The most "fruitful" in this regard was the 1981, when 268 participants from 45 teams started out!

Small Cycle Academy as its coaches and participants named it polished the skills of large galaxy of prominent Kazakhstan cyclists, who successfully performed at the Olympic Games, World, Europe, Asia, the Soviet Union Championships and other international competitions in all continents of the world.

Over the years, prominent Kazakhstan sportsmen attended these competitions: double winner of the Junior World Champion Sergey Shpak, winners of the Junior World Championship Nikolai Bondarenko, Vladimir Voloshin, Sergei Kapustin, Michael Teteryuk, Vadim Kravchenko, Eduard Gruner, Petras Jukna, Alexander Klaus, and Alexander Lopanev. Our famous world champions among adults Sergey

Navolokin, Igor Patenko, Marat Satybaldyev, Nikolai Makarov, Alexey Lutsenko were also schooled by this cycling.

One cannot forget say the good word about another participant of the race Kazakhstan Schoolboy: in 1987, 1988 and 1989 it also hardened Alexander Vinokourov - London Olympic champion in 2012.

The assets of the North Kazakhstan resident also include the silver medal of the Sydney Olympics in 2000,the third place in the Tour de France 2003, winning the general classification in the Vuelta 2006, the bronze medal of the world championships in 2004 and 2006 ...

The achievements of the former participants of Kazakhstan Schoolboy include the fourth place of Andrew Kivilev at Tour de France 2001, the sixth place at the World Cup 2004 and the third in the Vuelta 2006 of Andrey Kashechkin, as well as successful performance of our masters of road racing in Summer Asian Games and Asian Championships.

We wish the young fellow - the participants of some of the most prestigious competitions in the post-Soviet space in cycling - to become worthy successors to the winners of the previous races Kazakhstan Schoolboy. And yet - to preserve the love for physical training and cycling.

Yuri ALEXANDROV 
www.kazpravda.kz