Update — 7 September 2026. Ungheni City Hall has announced the streets and the hours: traffic is restricted on sections of Națională and Mihai Eminescu streets from 7.00 to 16.00, and on others, on Națională and Vasile Alecsandri, from 12.00 to 16.00 — not only for as long as the peloton is passing. Drivers are asked to move cars parked on those streets. On the national roads along the route, the National Roads Administration announces a temporary and complete block of traffic. The details are in the “Traffic” section. The rest of the text was published on 3 September.
On 9 September, the first stage of the Tour of Romania finishes in Ungheni. The Chișinău – Ungheni race runs over 162 kilometres, and the finish line is in Independence Square, on Națională Street, at an estimated 14.00. Twenty minutes later, in the same place, the award ceremony takes place.
The times below come from the technical guide of the Romanian Cycling Federation, the official document of the race, which sets out the itinerary kilometre by kilometre and the passing times through each locality. Ungheni City Hall has announced the time window 13.45–14.12.
When it passes where you are
The times are not fixed: the guide calculates them for three average speeds of the peloton — 44, 42 and 40 kilometres per hour. Hence the intervals. The faster the race, the earlier the time. The intervals are the organiser’s calculation, made before the race: if the peloton rides slower than 40 kilometres per hour, the finish moves past 14.11.
| Landmark | Km to the finish | Time window |
|---|---|---|
| Cornești | 29.1 | 13.11 – 13.29 |
| Pârlița (intermediate sprint) | 18.2 | 13.22 – 13.41 |
| Pârlița (locality) | 16.1 | 13.29 – 13.49 |
| Entry into Ungheni | 2.2 | 13.48 – 14.09 |
| Națională Street | 0.8 | 13.48 – 14.10 |
| Finish — Independence Square | 0 | 13.49 – 14.11 |
At kilometre 143.8, with 18.2 kilometres to go, comes the third intermediate sprint of the stage — the point where the peloton accelerates for the points of the intermediate sprints classification. The official itinerary passes Pârlița three times: the last landmark is 8 kilometres from the finish, between 13.39 and 14.00.
What happens at the finish
The award ceremony is scheduled for an estimated 14.20, in Independence Square. The first three finishers of the stage are awarded, and the jerseys go to the leaders of the overall classifications: on time, on points, on climbing, on intermediate sprints, the best rider under 23 and the best Romanian cyclist.
At 15.00, the caravan leaves for Iași, where the second stage starts the next day. The guide lists Ungheni District Hospital among the reference hospitals along the route of the competition.
Traffic
Ungheni City Hall announced on 7 September on which streets in the city traffic is restricted, and in which time windows.
| Street and section | Time window |
|---|---|
| Mihai Eminescu, the Veronica Micle – Vasile Alecsandri section | 7.00 – 16.00 |
| Națională, the Alexandru cel Bun – B.P. Hasdeu section | 7.00 – 16.00 |
| Națională, the B.P. Hasdeu – Romană section | 12.00 – 16.00 |
| Vasile Alecsandri, the Mihai Eminescu – Națională section | 12.00 – 16.00 |
In addition, the City Hall announces traffic control posts, with access from the side streets and from the areas adjacent to Națională Street restricted as needed, and asks drivers to move in good time the cars parked on the listed streets.
On the national roads along the route, the announcement of the National Roads Administration applies, also from 7 September: traffic will be temporarily and completely blocked about 30 minutes before the cyclists pass and will stay blocked until about 30 minutes after the whole caravan passes, including the crew that closes the column. On the segment towards Ungheni, the announced windows are 11.30–14.40 on R1, from the junction in the Căpriana/Pănășești area to Ungheni, and 14.40–15.50 on R1.1, from the entry into the city to Națională Street, in the area of Independence Square.
The window announced by the Roads Administration for the final kilometres — from the entry into the city to Națională Street, the R1.1 sector — starts at 14.40, after the arrival window: 13.49–14.11 in the organisers’ guide, 13.45–14.12 in the City Hall’s announcement. The Administration notes that the windows “are indicative, since the time of the peloton’s arrival in each area depends on the pace and the evolution of the race”, and that the restrictions may be extended if the peloton breaks up. It also says that the block is put in place about 30 minutes before the cyclists pass — so on the road into the city traffic may be stopped earlier than the hour in the announcement. In the city, the City Hall’s hours cover the whole arrival window: from 7.00 on two sections — Mihai Eminescu (Veronica Micle – Vasile Alecsandri) and Națională (Alexandru cel Bun – B.P. Hasdeu), which includes Independence Square — and from 12.00 on the other two, until 16.00.
The regulations in the guide of the Romanian Cycling Federation — which do not apply here — describe a more permissive regime: roads remain open to normal traffic, with a rolling closure that stops oncoming and cross traffic only for as long as the convoy is passing; the guide assigns the measure to the Romanian police. The Ungheni stage, however, runs entirely on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, where the announcements of the City Hall and of the National Roads Administration apply.
Why it is a first
The Tour of Romania is at its 58th edition. According to the Ministry of Education and Research, the Republic of Moldova is hosting the start of the competition for the first time and becomes the first country other than Romania to host both the opening ceremony — on 8 September, in Chișinău — and a full stage.
For the first time since 1934 - almost 100 years after it was launched - the Tour of Romania not only reaches Chișinău, but starts from Chișinău. Cristian-Leon Țurcanu, Ambassador of Romania to the Republic of Moldova
The ceremonial start is given at 10.00 in the square of the “Maria Bieșu” National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Chișinău, and the technical start at 10.10, on Hâncești Road. The City Hall has announced the route Chișinău – Hâncești – Strășeni – Călărași – Cornești – Ungheni. The highest point of the route is at 650 metres, and the stage has two category C climbs.
The competition is organised by the Romanian Cycling Federation, with the National Sports Agency as co-organiser and Auchan România as main partner. The first edition of the Tour took place in 1934. Since 2019, according to the City Hall, the race has featured in the European competition calendar of the International Cycling Union. After the Ungheni day, the Tour continues in Romania — Iași – Piatra Neamț, Piatra Neamț – Băile Balvanyos, Brașov – Ploiești — and ends on 13 September with a circuit in Bucharest.