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Nearly 1,000 cyclists from 13 countries rode across both sides of Canakkale during the Skoda Canakkale Gran Fondo, with competitors crossing the historic peninsula and finishing after passing over the 1915 Canakkale Bridge.
A total of 924 athletes took part in the event, which was organized as an official event of the Turkish National Olympic Committee with support from national and local authorities, the Turkish Cycling Federation and several partner institutions.
Competitors first boarded ferries with their bicycles from the GESTAS pier, with short-course riders crossing to Eceabat while those entered in the long course continued to Kilitbahir.
The long route, covering 112.75 kilometers, got underway from Kilitbahir at 10:30 a.m., while the 77.31-kilometer short course started from Eceabat at 11:00 a.m.
After completing the section through the historic peninsula, riders crossed the 1915 Canakkale Bridge, continued toward Canakkale and finished the race at Cumhuriyet Square.
Cengiz Guner won the men's long course, while Zuleyha Dikbas took the women's title. Erkan Gungor finished first in the men's short course and Aylin Yuce won the women's category.
The leading riders received their awards during a ceremony at Cumhuriyet Square attended by representatives of local authorities, the Turkish Cycling Federation and organizations supporting the event.
Among the participants was visually impaired cyclist Neriman Dincer, who traveled from Izmir and took part alongside her pilot, Yildiray Cinar.
Dincer said she lost her sight at the age of 12 and had to stay away from her passion for cycling for many years before taking it up again in 2018 after joining the Espedal Association.
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She said taking part in cycling as a visually impaired woman could help change social perceptions, while highlighting the support she received from Cinar as she stepped up her training for competitions.
Cinar said the pair had been training for the race for around two months on different routes in Izmir. He added that conditions in Canakkale turned out to be windier than expected, making the course more demanding.
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