The Erciyes International Road Cycling Races have been completed.

Kayseri Erciyes, which has become the center of cycling in Turkey, hosted an international road cycling race attended by professional athletes from all over the world. Speaking at the race program, Hamdi Elcuman, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Erciyes A.Ş., said, “Hopefully, we will hold many more races and present our people with more sporting successes.”
The Erciyes International Road Cycling Race series, included in the calendar of the International Cycling Union, was organized with the cooperation of the Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, and supported by Develi Municipality, Erciyes A.Ş., Sport A.Ş., and the Erciyes High Altitude and Sports Tourism Association. A total of 66 professional athletes participated in the cycling races from various countries including Switzerland, Australia, England, Japan, Ukraine, Venezuela, Iran, Eritrea, and Kazakhstan, with Turkey being the main participant. The races were held in two different stages: Grand Prix Soğanlı and Grand Prix Kaisareia. Cyclists competed on the 113 km long course of the GP Soğanlı stage that took place on the first day. The international cycling races, which took place in areas rich in the historical natural beauty of Kayseri, continued on the second day with the Grand Prix Kaisareia stage. The start of this challenging 128-kilometer course was given by AK Party Deputy Murat Cahid Cıngı, Erciyes A.Ş. Chairman Hamdi Elcuman, and Youth and Sports Provincial Director Ali İhsan Kabakcı. The races started from Cumhuriyet Square and ended at the Tekir Gate of Erciyes Ski Center. At the end of the competitions, Austrian athlete Dyball Benjamin from the Victoire Hiroshima team came in first, Burak ABAY from the Turkish National Cycling Team came in second, and Eritrean athlete Petros Meng from the İBB Sports Club came in third. In the award ceremony held at the end of the competitions, medals and trophies were presented to the athletes by Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary General and Erciyes A.Ş. Chairman Hamdi Elcuman, Youth and Sports Provincial Director Ali İhsan Kabakcı, Kayseri Provincial Gendarmerie Deputy Commander İsmet Demirgürelli, and Kayseri Erciyes A.Ş. General Manager Zafer Akşehirlioğlu. In addition to the road cycling races, mountain biking competitions were also held in Erciyes. Male and female athletes competing in the Kayseri MTB Cup sweated to complete the challenging course. Awards were presented in a ceremony held at the end of the races. Speaking at the race program, Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary General and Erciyes A.Ş. Chairman Hamdi Elcuman referred to Kayseri Erciyes as the center of cycling, stating, “We have come to the end of another race. More precisely, we have come to the end of 3 races. Saturday, Sunday, the weekend was filled with competitions. Thanks to our Metropolitan Municipality, our Erciyes A.Ş., and most importantly, we completed another race. You know, this is now the center of cycling. Especially in winter, our southern coasts are busy, and in summer, Erciyes is also busy with training camps. Many teams come here to benefit from high altitude. Today we completed our 167th and 168th races. You know, during the pandemic period, we were the center that held the most races in the world. Now we continue our work related to that. We are organizing many races. Thank God we finished without any accidents or incidents,” he stated. Elcuman expressed that they will present even more sporting successes to the citizens and shared the following:
“Erciyes is not only remembered for cycling. You know, nearly 30 of our football teams came here. Currently, we have a national baseball team, a national rugby team, basketball teams, swimming teams, all here. Erciyes is the center of sports and athletes. In winter, we contribute to both our city and our country with winter sports, and in summer with summer sports. I thank all my colleagues who contributed, especially under the leadership of my President Memduh Büyükkılıç. Hopefully, we will hold many more races and present our people with more sporting successes.”