The 'Cleopatra Cycling Festival', which was held for the first time this year in Tarsus with the slogan of 'Our Pedals Turned to History, Our Faces to the Future' by Mersin Metropolitan Municipality, made its finale, leaving unforgettable memories for the participants. The festival enthusiasm, which started at the Cleopatra gate with the whistle blown by Mersin Metropolitan Mayor Vahap Seçer on May 6, flowed into the history of Tarsus with colorful events for 3 days.
3 days of full festival
The festival, which started with a 3.2 kilometer bike tour in the city center, continued with city tours for 3 days. The participants, who came to the festival from Mersin center and many cities of Turkey, pedaled into the depths of Tarsus' history. After the opening tour that started on May 6, cyclists toured the Adanalıoğlu and Kazanlı beaches and nearby villages. On the second day; Cyclists, who toured the Nusret Mine Ship, Huzurkent and Crete Village, organized a 'Culture Tour' from Yarenlik Field to the American College at noon, on the last day of the festival, on the last day of the festival, via the Tarsus Waterfall, E-5 Highway, towards the Roman Road in the Healthy Village. pedaled. Cyclists made the closing tour of the festival with their pedals, which they turned towards Tarsus Dam and Tarsus Nature Park.
From the first day of the festival, the participants were hosted at the Tarsus Youth Camp. The cyclists left the city with unforgettable memories with campfires and musical entertainment for 3 days.
“We will make this festival become traditional”
President Seçer, pedaling with the cyclists at the opening of the festival, used the following statements:
“The Cleopatra Bicycle Festival is a first in Tarsus. Hopefully, we will ensure that this festival continues and becomes a traditional one every year together. You already know that I am a cyclist. At least 3 days a week, I ride my bike early in the morning in Mersin, I walk on the beach, I do sports. I am very satisfied, I recommend it to everyone, they should buy a bike immediately and start pedaling.”
“Our festival was very nice”
Cyclists, who accumulated good memories with a festival full of enthusiasm, expressed their feelings before leaving the city. Cemile Yurtsever, who shared her feelings by thanking everyone who contributed to the festival, said, “Everything was very good. I was very satisfied. Our festival and the places we went were very nice. Cretan Village was very beautiful. We hope to see you again next year," he said.
“We had an unforgettable festival”
Sema Güçlü, who took her place in the festival from Balıkesir's Akçay district, stated that she liked the festival very much and said, “We thank our Mayor very much. He gave us a very nice welcome. We came to see the natural beauties and taste the delicious flavors. We met nice people. We are thinking of promoting your city by wearing the jerseys in our city. Was very nice. The trails were beautiful. Thanks everyone, it was a lot of work. We had an unforgettable festival. We come back with great memories. We will always tell and remember Tarsus, but we will come again," he said.
“3 days were unexplainable, we experienced amazing things”
Sevilay Kaygısız, who attended from Adana, said that she was very pleased that she came and said, “It was my first festival. Believe me, it was so magnificent, so beautiful; Tarsus is a wonderful city. 3 days were unexplainable, we experienced amazing things. The activities we did, our tracks, our tours, the places we saw were magnificent. We liked it very much,” he said.
Deniz Yüksel, who attended from Hatay, also stated that the festival was fun and said, “We visited the historical places of Tarsus. We enjoyed this festival very much. We had a lot of fun at the campground. They welcomed us very nicely. A nice place was chosen as a campground. "Waking up by the river was so much fun," he said.
“We were very well received, we are very pleased”
Burçin Kudretoğlu, a participant from Mersin, stated that they came to see the historical places of Tarsus with the Cleopatra Bicycle Festival and said, “We were very well received, we are very pleased. Our camp area, our meals, our showers with hot water, city buses, ambulances, safety, everything is perfect. Everyone approached us very moderately, they greeted us with a smiling face”.
Ahmet Özpınar from Tarsus Cycling Group said, “It is very important for people to be smiling, to ride bicycles, to raise awareness and to say 'we are on the roads'. We are on the way for that. We visited the historical places of Tarsus. Although it is really tiring, it is enjoyable and at the same time, it is very proud for us.”
There were also small participants who attended the festival. Metehan Dokuzoğlu, 13, attended with his family from Adana Kadirli district. Dokuzoğlu said, “It is well organized. Food, tours, places we visited, everything was good. I attended with my family. I also have my mom, dad and brother. Tarsus is very beautiful”.
Be the first to comment