Famagusta Cycling Team Shines at Foliforov Day by Mayflower 2026
When a famous climb in Limassol, Cyprus, turned into a battlefield of legs and lungs on Foliforov Day by Mayflower organized by INEX Cycling Club, the Famagusta Cycling Team, designed and supported this year by Ventus, answered the call in style. Four athletes lined up. One returned with a category victory, two more stood on the podium, and every single one of them carried the Ventus name to the finish.
This is exactly the kind of day Ventus builds gear for.
The Story Behind the Race
To understand why this event matters, you have to rewind to May 22, 2016. That day, a 24-year-old Russian climber named Alexander Foliforov, riding for Gazprom RusVelo, did something no one had picked him to do.
He won Stage 15 of the Giro d'Italia, a brutal 10.8 km uphill individual time trial, in 28 minutes 39 seconds. He beat the maglia rosa Steven Kruijswijk. He beat Alejandro Valverde. He beat Vyacheslav Kuznetsov and Ilnur Zakarin. He beat the bookmakers, the pundits, and by his own admission his own expectations.
A decade later, INEX Cycling Club turned that moment of improbable glory into an annual ritual: an uphill TT on Cyprus soil, where every rider gets the chance to write their own "no one believed it" story. You can find the full event info at inex.club/foliforovday2026.
How the Famagusta Cycling Team Delivered
Four riders. Four categories. Three podiums. Here's how it played out:
🥇 Michalis Theocharous: Champion, MEN 50-59
Michalis didn't just win his category, he dominated it. With a time of 29:42.7, he opened a gap of 7 minutes and 8 seconds to second place. In a category where every rider has decades of riding in their legs, that kind of margin isn't luck. It's preparation, pacing, and the right setup under you. Michalis crossed the line as the fastest 50-59 rider on the mountain, full stop.
🥈 Chrysoulis Constantinou: 2nd Place, MEN 40-49
The MEN 40-49 field was the deepest of the day, 34 finishers, packed with strong climbers from across Cyprus and beyond. Chrysoulis stopped the clock at 29:07.7, just 2:16 behind the winner and clear of a chasing pack of 32 riders behind him. A silver medal in that depth of competition is a genuine statement of form.
🥈 Giannos Mina: 2nd Place, MEN 50-59
Teammate to Michalis, Giannos completed a Famagusta 1-2 in the MEN 50-59 category with a time of 36:51.0, edging out the third-place finisher by a razor-thin 4 seconds. That's the kind of finish that gets decided in the last 200 metres, and Giannos had the legs to hold it.
Konstantinos Kouskoullis: 4th Place, MEN 30-39
The MEN 30-39 category was the largest of the day, 25 finishers in one of the most competitive age groups in amateur cycling. Konstantinos rolled in with a time of 31:43.7, finishing 4th and just outside the podium in a field where the top six were separated by tactical minutes, not coincidences. A strong ride against a stacked start list.
Why This Result Matters for Ventus
At Ventus, our mission has always been simple: build cycling gear that lets riders chase their own Foliforov moment. The bike, the kit, the fit — every detail engineered to disappear under you when the gradient bites and the watts start hurting.
Seeing the Famagusta Cycling Team take three podiums and a category win at one of Cyprus's most spirited uphill races isn't just a result on a results sheet. It's proof that when you put the right equipment under the right athletes, the climb gives a little. The clock moves a little faster. And the story you tell at the finish line is one you'll be telling for years.
A Race That Celebrates the Underdog
Foliforov Day exists because cycling, at its best, rewards the rider who shows up prepared when no one is watching. Alexander Foliforov's Giro stage win in 2016 wasn't a fluke, it was the product of countless invisible hours. The Famagusta Cycling Team's 2026 results are no different. Behind every podium photo are dark winter mornings, repeated intervals on the same climbs, and a constant search for marginal gains, in training, in nutrition, and in the equipment Ventus is proud to provide.
Congratulations to Michalis, Chrysoulis, Giannos and Konstantinos. You did Famagusta proud, you did Cyprus proud, and you wrote your names into the next chapter of the Foliforov story.
