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The Türkiye Cycling Federation has set out its 2026 Gran Fondo calendar, bringing together 13 amateur cycling races across the country from April to November, after a 2025 season that drew a record 4,835 riders and saw most events reach full capacity.
In the federation’s calendar, Gran Fondo refers to amateur cycling races held on closed and secure routes in different cities, with courses that vary in length and difficulty so that riders in several age groups can line up and compete under similar conditions.
The 2026 calendar brings the Gran Fondo series together under one structure in line with the federation’s goal of spreading amateur cycling in Turkiye. Organized under the federation’s special events regulations and carried out in cooperation with local governments and private-sector partners, the races are intended to support the development of amateur cycling nationwide.
According to the calendar, riders will have the chance to compete in Gran Fondo events in Ankara, Antalya, Bodrum, Bursa, Cesme, Istanbul, Izmir, Konya, Marmaris, Samsun, Yalova and Zonguldak. The series opens with Bodrum Gran Fondo on April 5, 2026, and continues with Akra Gran Fondo in Antalya and Yalova Gran Fondo later in April, before moving on to other cities over the spring and summer.
The federation plans to keep the Gran Fondo momentum going throughout most of the year. After the early spring races, the calendar moves into Bursa Gran Fondo and Ilkadim Gran Fondo in May, then L’Etape Marmaris on 7 June and Konya Gran Fondo on 28 June. Zonguldak Gran Fondo follows on July 5 before the series returns to the capital for Baskent Gran Fondo on Aug. 23.
In the autumn leg of the season, L’Etape Istanbul is scheduled for Sept. 20, followed by Izmir Gran Fondo on Oct. 4 and VeloTurk Gran Fondo Cesme on Oct. 25. The year’s calendar is set to close with UCI Gran Fondo on Nov. 8, 2026.
Throughout the series, amateur cyclists will test their endurance on challenging courses while riding through natural landscapes and urban routes that are closed to traffic for the events.
The 2025 Gran Fondo season, coordinated by the Türkiye Cycling Federation as a 12-race series, played a major role in spreading amateur cycling across the country and attracted what the federation describes as record interest. Across all events, 4,835 riders took part, including 4,386 men and 455 women.
More than 70% of the races reached their participant limits, which underlined the strong demand for the events. A total of 3,394 riders competed on the short course options, while 1,441 riders chose the long course, which required higher levels of endurance and preparation.
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Federation president Emin Muftuoglu said he was pleased to see the Gran Fondo series grow stronger each year as riders from different age groups find opportunities to race in high-standard events that offer traffic-free, safe and athlete-friendly services in many parts of Türkiye.
He noted that the Gran Fondo calendar acts as an important roadmap, since it helps riders set their goals at the beginning of the season and plan both their training and their race programmes accordingly.
Muftuoglu also stressed that the races are being staged thanks to the strong support of local governments, private companies and partner institutions, and that this cooperation contributes to the development of a sustainable race culture in the country. Referring to the momentum created in 2025, he said, “I believe that the high level of participation and competition will continue to rise in the 2026 season.”
He added that he wished all riders a healthy, safe and successful season.
The Gran Fondo leader jersey concept, introduced by the federation, continued to serve as a major source of motivation for riders during the 2025 season. Under criteria set by the federation, “master” riders—amateur cyclists competing in specific age-group categories—became eligible for the leader jersey if they took part in at least half of the events on the 12-race calendar, meaning a minimum of six races, and if they finished the season with the lowest total points in the overall classification.
In 2025, riders who stood out with their performances in the short and long course categories earned the right to wear the Gran Fondo leader jersey in the 2026 season. The federation announced that Zuleyha Dikbas (13 points) claimed the women’s long course leader jersey, while Gokhan Uzuntas (7 points) secured the men’s long course jersey.
In the short course category, the women’s leader jersey went to Buket Demirci (11 points), and the men’s short course leader jersey was awarded to Mithat Temiz Yurek (14 points).
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