By Muhammed Boztepe
ANKARA (AA) - The route of the 57th Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkiye was announced on Tuesday.
The bicycle race, attended by professional teams and athletes, will start in Bodrum on April 10 and end in Istanbul on April 17.
It will continue for eight days in eight stages, and will include many of Turkiye's ancient as well as cultural hotspots such as the newly built Canakkale 1915 Bridge.
The eight stages of the 1,289 kilometer track will be as follows:
April 10: Bodrum - Kusadasi (207 kilometers)
April 11: Selcuk (Ephesus) - Alacati (158.1 kilometers)
April 12: Cesme - Izmir (Karsiyaka) (122.5 kilometers)
April 13: Izmir (Konak) - Manisa (Spil) (127.4 kilometers)
April 14: Manisa - Ayvalik (191.3 kilometers)
April 15: Edremit (Akcay) - Eceabat (57th Regiment Martyrdom) (204.2 kilometers)
April 16: Gallipoli - Tekirdag (135.8 kilometers)
April 17: Istanbul - Istanbul (143 kilometers)
The Turkish Cycling Federation has been organizing the tour, earlier known as the Marmara Tour, since 1963.
It gained international status in 1965 and was taken under presidential authority in 1966.
* Writing by Selcuk Bugra Gokalp