From Greece to Perth Australia on a bicycle !!!!

Cycling master Loukas Katapodis comes to Australia to compete in the 2016 Gran Fondo Championships, hoping to sing the Greek national anthem at the end of the event.

As fans of cycling know already, for the next few days, all eyes are turning to Perth, which hosts the 2016 Gran Fondo World Championships organised by the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale). An international celebration of the sport of competitive cycling where amateurs and professionals alike compete to be crowned the World Champion and receive the coveted rainbow jersey, the event will bring cyclists from across the globe to Perth, in order to race the world-class courses on 1 and 4 September, 2016. The UCI Gran Fondo World Series is a set of 14 World Championship Races, organised throughout the world, from which are selected the athletes who will take part in the World Finals, provided they finish among the top 25 per cent of this category. It is a World Championship for Amateurs, which allows for any athlete carrying their respective cycling union card to take part, along with professional athletes.
Among the participants in Perth, one Greek name stands out: Loukas Katapodis.
Greek champion of Individual Time Trial (ITT) for two years in a row, Katopodis has been participating in bicycle racing since 1986, having raced with the Greek National Team 200 times. In 2009 he competed in the Masters category, continuing his remarkable path. He recently finished first in the three-day Bike Giro di Rodi which was part of the 2016 Rhodos Challenge. In Perth, he will take part in both the ITT, and the 156km race, taking place on 1 and 4 September, respectively. Before embarking on this journey, the Greek cycling master shared his story with Neos Kosmos.