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Istanbul hosted the third edition of the Visa Maximiles Black L'Etape Türkiye by Tour de France 2026, an amateur cycling event held under the name of the Tour de France, the world's best-known professional road cycling race.
Starting and finishing at Umraniye Millet Park, cyclists pedaled in three categories: a 97.6-kilometer(60.6 miles) long course, a 41.3-kilometer short course, and a 31.4-kilometer intercontinental experience course, which crosses between Asia and Europe.
The start of the races was given by Youth and Sports Minister Osman Askin Bak, Istanbul Deputy Governor Esengul Korkmaz Cicekli, Umraniye Mayor Ismet Yildirim, Acting President of the Turkish Cycling Federation Fikret Hayali, and L'Etape Türkiye by Tour de France General Director Omer Kafkas.
In his speech, Osman Askin Bak said they had gathered on a beautiful Istanbul morning. "There is good participation. Nearly 2,000 athletes from 40 countries took part. It is a nice course. A race will be held between two continents," he said.
Bak said Türkiye "has made important investments in sports and continues to advance" and that "important work is being done in terms of sports tourism."
"As you know, Formula 1 has now come to Istanbul as well. It is also important in this regard that our esteemed President comes from the world of sports," he added.
Speaking about cycling, Bak said: "Cycling is a part of our lives. As children, we spent sleepless nights hoping to have a bicycle. Now technology has developed, and everything is much better. You will see Istanbul's beautiful forests and roads."
Wishing the participants well, Bak said: "I wish everyone good races and success. We also thank the Umraniye Municipality and our sponsors." "We will continue to work for the development of sports," he said.
Chris Froome, a four-time Tour de France champion and cycling brand ambassador for Czech carmaker Skoda, rode in Istanbul ahead of L'Etape Türkiye by Tour de France.
Froome, who crossed between the continents of Asia and Europe on his bicycle for the first time on the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, then accompanied the athletes.
Chris Froome said it was his first visit to Istanbul. "People are really very warm. There is an extraordinary atmosphere," he said.
"It is a wonderful feeling to be here with the cyclists. I hope I can visit again in the future," he added. Froome also said, "It is an interesting feeling to receive so much attention, but a nice one."
Referring to Skoda, he said, "When I was a professional, Skoda was already involved in this sector. I am discovering very beautiful places with them, and I aim to stay in the sector."
Yuce Oto Skoda General Manager Zafer Basar said they had come together at an important organization and that he thinks it is "an important event for bringing cycling to young people and everyone who feels young and for speeding up infrastructure investments for cycling. We are proud to have had the chance to represent Türkiye well abroad," he said.
Referring to Froome, Basar said, "Chris Froome did not let us down and is here today. We thank him very much. He is a legendary name. He is doing everything he can to make this sport known and widespread in Türkiye."
Speaking about the company's plans, he said, "We will also continue to support this sport with all our strength. Among our annual plans is making this sport widespread, especially among young people. Cycling offers us a healthy life," he added.
Basar said he hopes "our esteemed minister and our officials will spread this good feeling across the country and support infrastructure investments."
On the long course, Omer Cumhur Boyraz crossed the line first among men with a time of two hours 35 minutes 31 seconds, while Gokce Demirsoy won the women's title with a time of two hours 57 minutes three seconds.
On the short course, Recep Unalan finished first among men with a time of one hour three minutes nine seconds, and Aylin Yuce finished first among women with a time of one hour seven minutes 34 seconds.
At the ceremony held after the race, awards were presented to the top finishers.
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The top three finishers in each category at L'Etape Türkiye by Tour de France 2026 were as follows. In the long course for men, Omer Cumhur Boyraz finished first with 02:35:31, followed by Martin Stefanov (02:35:32) and Peter Dashev (02:35:32).
In the long course for women, Gokce Demirsoy placed first with 02:57:03, ahead of Zuleyha Dikbas (03:01:33) and Seniz Pamuk (03:02:56).
In the short course for men, Recep Unalan took first place with 01:03:09, followed by Cengiz Guner (01:03:09) and Murat Uslu (01:03:09). In the short course for women, Aylin Yuce finished first with 01:07:34, followed by Zale Karakas (01:16:10) and Ozger Sinar (01:17:46).
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