Tour of Albania
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | May |
| Region | Albania |
| Local name(s) | Turi Çiklistik i Shqipërisë |
| Discipline | Road |
| Competition | UCI Europe Tour |
| Type | stage race |
| Organiser | Albanian Cycling Federation |
| History | |
| First edition | 1925 |
| Editions | 81 (as of 2025) |
| First winner | Jonuz Gjylbegu (ALB) |
| Most wins | Bilal Agalliu (ALB) (11 wins) |
| Most recent | Tom Jonkmans (NED) |
The Tour of Albania (Albanian: Turi Çiklistik i Shqipërisë) is a multi-day cycling race held annually in Albania. Since 2017, the race has been included on the UCI Europe Tour calendar as a category 2.2 event.[1]
History
The Tour of Albania ranks as the third oldest cycling tour in Europe, after the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia. The first ever race was held in September 1925, covering a distance of 1,300 kilometers. It was considered the earliest official sporting event of its kind in the country, at the time.
Each city along the route hosted a ceremonial welcome, with local municipalities and prefectures providing lodging, meals and medical care. It became customary for the top three cyclists in each stage to receive special gifts in recognition of their performance.
Winners
| Edition | Year | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1925 | Jonuz Gjylbegu |
| 2nd | 1936 | Koço Kereku |
| 3rd | 1946 | Pirro Angjeli |
| 4th | 1947 | Gani Lacej |
| 5th | 1948 | Mishel Cico |
| 6th | 1948 | Mishel Cico |
| 7th | 1949 | Pirro Angjeli |
| 8th | 1950 | Fadil Muriqi |
| 9th | 1951 | Fadil Muriqi |
| 10th | 1952 | Fadil Muriqi |
| 11th | 1953 | Fadil Muriqi |
| 12th | 1954 | Bilal Agalliu |
| 13th | 1955 | Bilal Agalliu |
| 14th | 1956 | Bilal Agalliu |
| 15th | 1957 | Bilal Agalliu |
| 16th | 1958 | Bilal Agalliu |
| 17th | 1959 | Bilal Agalliu |
| 18th | 1960 | Bilal Agalliu |
| 19th | 1961 | Bilal Agalliu |
| 20th | 1962 | Bilal Agalliu |
| 21st | 1963 | Bilal Agalliu |
| 22nd | 1964 | Ruzhdi Muriqi |
| 23rd | 1965 | Bilal Agalliu |
| 24th | 1966 | Shefqet Dervishi |
| 25th | 1967 | Sali Hima |
| 26th | 1968 | Sali Hima |
| 27th | 1969 | Dashamir Rama |
| 28th | 1970 | Muharrem Ahmeti |
| 29th | 1971 | Lutfi Zino |
| 30th | 1972 | Muharrem Ahmeti |
| 31st | 1973 | Agron Tafilica |
| 32nd | 1974 | Agron Tafilica |
| 33rd | 1975 | Agron Tafilica |
| 34th | 1976 | Kastriot Mezini |
| 35th | 1977 | Lutfi Zino |
| 36th | 1978 | Agron Huqi |
| 37th | 1979 | Agim Tafili |
| 38th | 1980 | Agim Tafili |
| 39th | 1981 | Agim Tafili |
| 40th | 1982 | Agim Tafili |
| 41st | 1983 | Albert Çuko |
| 42nd | 1984 | Agim Tafili |
| 43rd | 1985 | Agim Tafili |
| 44th | 1986 | Ardian Ferraizi |
| 45th | 1987 | Agron Huqi |
| 46th | 1988 | Sytki Tafili |
| 47th | 1989 | Selim Çelmeta |
| 48th | 1990 | Selim Çelmeta |
| 49th | 1991 | Agim Paja |
| 50th | 1993 | Agron Boga |
| 51st | 1994 | Agim Paja |
| 52nd | 1995 | Besnik Musaj |
| 53rd | 1996 | Besnik Musaj |
| 54th | 1997 | Besnik Musaj |
| 55th | 1998 | Besnik Musaj |
| 56th | 1999 | Besnik Musaj |
| 57th | 2000 | Besnik Musaj |
| 58th | 2001 | Besnik Musaj |
| 59th | 2002 | Admir Hasimaj |
| 60th | 2003 | Palion Zarka |
| 61st | 2004 | Palion Zarka |
| 62nd | 2005 | Palion Zarka |
| 63rd | 2006 | Palion Zarka |
| 64th | 2007 | Palion Zarka |
| 65th | 2008 | Jonid Toska |
| 66th | 2009 | Jonid Toska |
| 67th | 2010 | Besmir Banushi |
| 68th | 2011 | Besmir Banushi |
| 69th | 2012 | Besmir Banushi |
| 70th | 2013 | Eugert Zhupa |
| 71st | 2014 | Marko Stanković |
| 72nd | 2015 | Marko Stanković |
| 73rd | 2016 | Ylber Sefa |
| 74th | 2017 | Francesco Bongiorno |
| 75th | 2018 | Michele Gazzara |
| 76th | 2019 | Filippo Fiorelli |
| 77th | 2021 | Dušan Veselinović |
| 78th | 2022 | Ylber Sefa |
| 79th | 2023 | Max Stedman |
| 80th | 2024 | Veljko Stojnić |
| 81st | 2025 | Tom Jonkmans |
References
- ^ "2017 Tour of Albania". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 20 May 2017.