L'Étape Türkiye by Tour de France’s trophies made in Mardin

MARDİN

The trophies of the Turkish leg of the L'Étape by Tour de France Series, one of the world's greatest bicycle race organizations, have been made in the country’s eastern province of Mardin.

As a part of one of the most renowned and much-anticipated bicycle race organizations, Tour de France, L'Etape by Tour de France — a special event designated for amateur athletes — will be held in Türkiye for the first time this year.

Mardin province participated as a cultural partner with the support of Governor Tuncay Akkoyun in this significant race, which will help promote the country and is anticipated to draw in over 50 million spectators.

The designer from Mardin, the competition’s Türkiye leg’s creative director İbrahim Halil Eldem, designed the trophies that would be awarded at the conclusion of the competition.

Eldem noted that they are thrilled that Türkiye will host such a significant international cycling competition and provided details on the designing process in his remarks to the state-run Anadolu Agency.

Indicating that he spent days in order to come up with the most suitable trophy design, Eldem noted that he decided to utilize the country’s centuries-old customs and traditions at last.

“I scribbled a drawing on the napkin I was holding, inspired by a necklace made from the beads obtained from the 14,000-year-old Boncuklu Tarla [Beaded Field]. That’s how the first sketches of our trophy appeared,” he explained.

“I spoke with archaeologists and obtained additional technical details regarding Mardin later on. In the end, we all agreed on the trophy's shape and drew it afterward.”

Eldem underlined that they wished to present Mardin's history in a stunning manner since they feel a sense of responsibility as the people of the region.

“Our trophies represent the fertile crescent of Mesopotamia, the birthplace of civilization, as well as the Beaded Field. From the front, our trophy looks like a crescent. Every stroke on it represents a bead discovered in the Beaded Field and every step taken in the name of civilization,” he said.

Eldem indicated that the competition will have a major impact on the nation and Mardin as it will be broadcast in 70 countries.

As a final note, he said that a total of 28 trophies made in Mardin will be awarded to the winning athletes of the competition, which will be held in Istanbul on Oct. 19-20.

Anticipated to attract thousands of athletes from at least 30 countries, the competition will feature amateur athletes tackling 106.8 kilometers of the "Long" course, 55.8 kilometers of the "Short" course and 6.7 kilometers of the "Family and Children" course.