Bike tour on busy Ankara highway suspended

ANKARA

A road bike tour being held in Turkey’s capital was canceled on the 25th kilometer of the route as necessary precautions had not been taken on the track beforehand.

Organized in cooperation with the Turkish Cycling Federation and Kahramankazan Municipality, the 15 July Martyrs’ Commemoration Road Bike Tour took place on an Ankara highway that was not closed to car traffic.

Athletes pedaling on the highway returned from the verge of a possible disaster among the fast-moving trucks.

Some of the cyclists noted that they came face to face with accidents on the track many times, criticizing officials on social media.

Kübra Bektaş, one of the competitors who participated in the tour, was taken to a hospital after an accident.

She said she fell while racing at 50 kilometers per hour and drifted on the asphalt road seven or eight meters.
Bektaş added that she was taken to the hospital by her teammates because no ambulance had arrived at the scene.