Bike it! Erdogan pedals through Istanbul in ‘champion’s cycle’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took part in an Istanbul event on Sunday that launched the 51st Presidential Tour of Turkey.

He rode a customized bike modelled from the bike ridden by world biking champion, Fabrice Mels, complete with 20 gears, a carbon frame and hydraulic brakes.

The president was accompanied by a pack of security guards following alongside the bikers on foot.

“We still couldn’t manage to make people love the bicycle,” Erdogan said in a short speech after the promotional event.
He promised to make the city more cyclist-friendly by increasing the number of bike lanes and recommending that bicycle producers launch promotional offers to elevate demand.