2002

29th Tour de Hongrie

Last year's Tour was won uphill. This year, it was won downhill.

The Queen Stage of the 29th Tour de Hongrie took place in the Bükk Mountains. Torrential rain made the stage even more difficult with gravelly, slippery and winding descents. Local rider, Zoltán Vanik knew these roads better than most. He had a huge lead arriving to Miskolc, when the stage had to be neutralized for a while because of a scary crash in the main group. 

A magyar bajnoki mezes Madaras Zoltán a jászberényi befutónál

The two professional teams in the peloton, Polish Legia - Bazyliszek and Czech Joko Velamos tried everything to gain time on Vanik during the last stage, but the Hungarian kept the Yellow Jersey until the end. Vanik still participates in every Tour de Hongrie, but in a very different role: he became the official photographer of the race.

 

Zoltán Remák won the last stage in Budapest...

 

...while Zoltán Vanik won the Jellow Jersey

29th Tour de Hongrie (6-11 August 2002, 665.2 km)

Stage winners:
Prologue (Nagykanizsa, 38 km, criterium): Frank Dressler (Germany)
Stage 1 (Nagykanizsa - Kaposvár, 94 km): Radek Dite (Czech, Joko Velamos)
Stage 2 (Kaposvár, 37 km, individual time trial): Vladyslav Prigunov (Ukrainian, SK Nikolaev)
Stage 3 (Szeged - Jászberény, 181 km): Zoltán Madaras (Hungarian, P Nívó-Betonexpressz-FTC)
Stage 4 (Jászberény - Miskolc, 153 km): Zoltán Vanik (Hungarian, Postás-Matáv)
Stage 5 (Eger, 10,7 km, individual time trial): Mariusz Kaminski (Polish, Legia - Bazyliszek)
Stage 6 (Eger - Budapest, 151,5 km): Zoltán Remák (Slovak, P Nívó-Betonexpressz-FTC)

General Classification:
1. Zoltán Vanik (Hungarian, Postás-Matáv) 14:31:23
2. Jan Faltynek (Czech, Joko Velamos) 14:31:38 (+0:15)
3. Radek Blahut (Czech, Joko Velamos) 14:31:40 (+0:17)

Winner of the Teams Classification: Joko Velamos (Czech)

Winner of the Points Classification: Vladyslav Prigunov (Ukrainian, SK Nikolaev)

Winner of the Mountains Classification: Róbert Nagy (Slovak, Mapei-Kanizsa KK)