Gran Fondo Başkent Cycling Race will be held in Ankara on Sunday, August 23. Around 1,000 athletes are expected to compete on two different courses.
Ömer Kafkas, director of the Gran Fondo Başkent Cycling Race and general manager of 78 Event, said the event's fifth year represented an important milestone for them. Kafkas said the number of participants, as well as public and sponsor support, had increased each year.
Kafkas said they would welcome athletes from 40–42 cities and 15–20 countries in Ankara this year. Kafkas said preparations for the event had been underway for approximately a year and that extensive coordination had been carried out regarding security, health services and traffic arrangements.
The race will start at Bilkent Center
The race start and registration area will be set up at Bilkent Center. Cyclists will set off at 8:00 a.m., while the awards ceremony will be held at 12:30 p.m.
The course will start in front of Bilkent Center and head toward Sabancı Boulevard before extending toward the villages via Hoşdere and the front of the Constitutional Court. Kafkas said that after the race left Ankara city center during the first hour and traffic was reopened, the course would showcase the city's natural beauty and its surroundings.
In addition to a long course of approximately 100 kilometers, the event will include a short course of around 50 kilometers. Traffic will be closed in stages across a significant part of Ankara.
The event aims to contribute to Ankara's economy
Kafkas said Gran Fondo Başkent was not merely a sporting event and also contributed to promoting Ankara and developing sports tourism. Kafkas said major cities around the world had built their brands through events such as marathons and cycling races, adding that Ankara should also host larger events in this field.
Kafkas said sports tourism had reached an economic volume approaching $1 trillion worldwide and that around 1,000 guests from different parts of Türkiye and the world would come to Ankara. Kafkas said 20–25 hotels would be filled as part of the event, adding that visitors would stay in the city, dine there and visit historical sites.
Kafkas said the event could generate between 15 million and 30 million liras in economic activity for Ankara over a weekend and that this economic benefit would remain in the city.
The event is planned to expand
Kafkas said they wanted to expand Gran Fondo Başkent further and that Ankara could serve as an example for Türkiye in sports tourism. Kafkas said Gran Fondo Başkent was in its fifth year and that they wanted to broaden the event in the future through marathons and other large-scale mass amateur sports events.
Kafkas also said cities such as Kars, Hakkari and Van had significant potential for cycling events. He said such events could be held in different cities across Türkiye through cooperation with public institutions and support from the private sector.
