The Veloturk Gran Fondo by Salcano took place in Çeşme.

Cesme hosted the Veloturk Gran Fondo by Salcano for the 8th time, bringing together cycling enthusiasts to support the ‘If a Child Laughs, the World Laughs’ project. The amateur road cycling race aimed to connect children with bicycles as a reward for their report cards, creating social awareness through sports. This year, the organization, which supports the ‘If a Child Laughs, the World Laughs’ project, took place in Cesme for the 8th time. After the organization, a ceremony was held to award the athletes who placed in the competition.

708 athletes from 12 countries participated
The race, organized by Argeus Travel & Event in collaboration with Veloturk and with the main sponsorship of Salcano, was hosted by the Cesme District Governorship and Cesme Municipality, with support from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Izmir Governorship, and the Cycling Federation. This year, 708 athletes participated in the race, which is included in the Gran Fondo World Tour calendar and awards points for world championships, from countries including Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Denmark, England, Kazakhstan, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Three different routes were started
In the organization, the start of the 91K Salcano route was given at 08:00, the start of the 67K route at 08:30, and the start of the 41K Cesme route at 09:00. The starts, which took place from Republic Square, were given by Cesme District Governor Mehmet Marasli, Cesme Mayor Lal Denizli, Cesme Deputy Mayor Banu Ayhan, Enver Yilmaz, Branch Manager of Sports Activities at the Izmir Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports, Nuri Buyukatesh, Cesme District Director of Youth and Sports, Aydin Ayhan Guney, Founding Partner of Argeus Travel & Event, Emin Muftuglu, President of the Turkish Cycling Federation, Metin Cengiz, Vice President of the Turkish Cycling Federation, Yusuf Akgul, Member of the Board of Directors of Salcano, and Lieutenant Yavuz Yasar, Cesme District Gendarmerie Commander. The awards for the athletes who placed in the competition were presented in a ceremony held at Republic Square.

Mehmet Marasli: “I am happy about the organization”
Cesme District Governor Mehmet Marasli, in a statement after the organization, said, “I am happy that a sports organization is taking place in our district on a beautiful day in November. I believe it is important to show the world that sports and tourism go well together, and that sports can always be done in our region from a tourism perspective. I think it has been beneficial for the promotion of both our country and our district with more than 700 athletes participating in the race. I really appreciate events that promote healthy minds and bodies, free from addiction. I express my gratitude to all participants and the organization team.”

Lal Denizli: “The unifying power of sports being highlighted is valuable to us”
Cesme Mayor Lal Denizli stated, “Events like this really make us very happy. They not only attract international participation but also highlight the unifying power of sports, which is valuable to us. Especially in these difficult times our country is going through, I am very happy to host events where sports activities are discussed in Cesme. This year we had 3 different routes. Participation came from 12 countries. When we consider the number of athletes, along with their relatives, it has actually turned into an event that does not allow us to end the season. We hope to see many more years like this.”