Cycle Race and Round-the-world Rally to Mark St. Petersburg's 300th Anniversary

The Korolevskaya doroga (Royal Road) cycle race is only part of a project which will culminate in a round-the-world rally to mark the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. The race will start at noon on July 27 at the Field of Mars. The event organisers are St. Petersburg-based traveler Vladimir Zverev, who raised the town's flag over Mt. Kilimanjaro on December 23, 2000, and the magazine Sto Dorog (A Hundred Roads) with the support of the city government.

The route of the race, which is 600 km long, will follow the Korolevskaya doroga, which was established as far back as the seventeenth century. This road was frequently marched down by Russian and Swedish rulers.

Anyone is welcome to take part in the race. According to Zverev, the race is not intended to be a sporting event, but a tourist event for amateurs, which will acquaint participants with the region. Excursions and meetings with representatives of Finnish public organisations are planned along the route.

The cycle race will be followed by a rally coinciding with the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. This event is intended to start in September or October 2002 and should finish on May 27, 2003. The rally will use VAZ-2111 cars, which, according to Zverev, are 'the most suitable, not only in terms of cost, but also in terms of economy and maintenance'. The cars will be decorated with views of St. Petersburg and the city's 300th anniversary logo, and throughout the journey the teams will tell people around the world about St. Petersburg.