Tour de Mátra is one of the most excitedly awaited races of my season, every single year. Last year, I missed it due to a clash with a multi-day race in Italy, and honestly, I was heartbroken. I have only good memories from here. It’s the one race I’ve done every year since it was founded. My first go was back in 2021, as a first-year U15 rider, when it was still called the Tour de Gyöngyös. I finished second. That was one of my first real racing experiences. Back then, my coach (in Hungarian we call him Lalibá) was still training me. As big as it sounds it’s true: it’s thanks to him, and in large part thanks to how well-organized, safe, and welcoming this race was even back then, that I fell in love with cycling. As a little kid, I was shown so much care and support that it stayed with me forever.
This event always spans two days. Until now, Day 1 was an 83 km stage, and Day 2 a short but brutal 16 km mountain effort. This year, Saturday offered a choice between 83 and 150 km. Sunday was business as usual: 16 km from Gyöngyös up to the peak of Kékes. That’s 768 meters of elevation in just 16 km. Full gas.
Every time I’ve raced here, I’ve made it onto the podium. In 2023, I even won my age category both on the Sunday stage and in the overall.
This race is like Lego, you can build it how you like. You can race only Saturday, only Sunday, or both. Each day is scored individually, and Sunday has an overall general classification as well, with results by age category and overall.
One of the things I love most about this race is how seriously they take safety. There are 30 UBE motorbikes, a fleet of police motorcycles and patrol cars, and tons of volunteer marshals keeping the roads clear. Timing is handled by EvoChip with multiple split points, and the data is available in real time. Thankfully, more and more races are catching up to this standard—but here, it’s been like this from the beginning.
So I was looking forward to the weekend, like always. Just one problem: I’m a private student due to cycling, and most of my year-end exams fell in this same week. Four of them, to be exact. I managed those. Since I’m planning to take my final exams next year, I also decided to get my advanced English exam done now. I finished the written part in May, and – unfortunately – the spoken part of the exam was scheduled for this Saturday. No way to move it. So I missed the first stage. But no way was I going to miss Sunday.
While waiting for my exam, I watched the live stream of the race on YouTube. Yes, the Tour de Mátra is broadcast live, with real Eurosport commentators calling the action. I watched my teammates and cheered them on. Then I got called in, did my exam, watched the finish, and started getting ready for today’s race.
On Saturday, my former team, MBH Bank Cycling Team, absolutely crushed it. Révész Ádám took both the U19 and overall wins, by a strong margin. Second place went to Vock Andris (Csömör), and third to Dorogi Alex (MBH). So we expected MBH to be going all-in again today.
Massive shoutout to the organizers for handling the start lineup with care – dividing us by age category and likely strength. That matters, because while there’s plenty of climbing, the stage is short. No time for a long neutral roll-out to settle into position. This system also helps prevent pointless start-line crashes.
I started near the front with two teammates: Csiki Marci and Gere Roland. Korondi Balázs and Balogh Sanyi (U17) were just behind us, and Böjte Csongor started with the Masters.
Early on, a group with Sidló Dani (Monzon–Incolor–Gub) attacked. A bunch of guys went with him—4 or 5—but the peloton reeled them in. Then came more attacks. The race got twitchy. Eventually, 3 or 4 riders got away again. Erdős Dani (MBH), Tóth Márk (MBH), and I were at the front when, just after my pull, Alex and Ádám from MBH launched a hard move. I was ready for it and followed. Six of us bridged up and started chasing the leading group.
From that original breakaway of four, only two held on. The rest were dropped. We were closing in, but then I started to feel it—the heat and the hard effort were a brutal combo. Honestly, I could feel that if I pushed the pace too hard, I was going to throw up. I could hold my pace, no problem, but jumping around didn’t seem smart. So I let the move go and settled into my tempo. When I looked back, I saw Balázs coming up, and we linked up shortly after Sástó.
Climbing past Mátraháza, the decision to ride steady started to pay off. Checking the data later, at the Mátraháza timing point, I was 58 seconds behind Sidló Dani and 23 seconds off Alex. That meant everything was still up for grabs. I reached that point with three Csömör riders. I knew they’d attack, but I also knew that if I followed every move, I’d see my breakfast again. So I played the long game.
Bali went with one of the surges, but it didn’t stick. I caught up and slotted in front of him. In the final kilometer, I reeled in Kiss Benedek (Karcag). I didn’t plan to attack him, I figured we’d work together. I took a pull, then let him take over. Just before the final corner, I got in front again. I could see he was cooked, and I didn’t want to launch a sneaky sprint from his wheel. That might have been smart, but it didn’t feel right. So I led it out. I looked back – no one coming. I backed off a bit. Then I saw Bali charging. That kicked Benedek into gear too. So I gave it one last push and crossed the line 4–5 seconds ahead. My throat burned with that metallic taste, and the heat hit me hard. My legs were good, but the heat took a toll. After the finish, I fist-bumped Bali – then collapsed.
Final result: 5th in category, 12th overall. Time: 37:58 over 16 km with 768 m elevation gain.
And this face? That’s not a smile. That’s pain.
Révész Ádám finished second today, which was enough to hold onto the U19 and overall lead. Impressive ride.
Congrats to the winner – see you again soon!
