World Bicycle Day, which was established by the UN General Assembly Resolution at the initiative of Ashgabat, was widely celebrated in Turkmenistan. A largescale bicycle ride in Ashgabat with participation of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov was the main event the celebration.
The head of state addressed thousands of cycling fans before the start of the ride. The Turkmen leader congratulated the participants of the bicycle ride on World Bicycle Day and noted that this international day promotes respect for the environment, improvement of people's health and development of physical culture and sports.
Then, the floor was given to official representative of Guinness World Records Subashi Sheyda, who announced that a new world record the longest cycling parade along one line was set during a cycling awareness lesson on 1 June 2019 at the Olympic Village in Ashgabat. Participants of a largescale cycling event lined up at a certain distance from each other and cycled around the Olympic Village, covering a distance of 3300 meters.
In fact, the world record set on 3 March 2019 in India was beaten in Ashgabat. This fact was officially registered by Guinness World Records and confirmed in a certificate that was presented to the Turkmen side during the current celebration of World Bicycle Day.
Then, the floor was given to David Lappartien, head of the International Cycling Union (UCI). He noted the role of Turkmenistan and President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov's personal contribution to establishing World Bicycle Day. In this regard, the head of the UCI announced the decision of the International Cycling Union to award the Turkmen leader with a Certificate of Appreciation. The Turkmen side was also presented with a certificate acknowledging Turkmenistan's right to host the World Track Cycling Championship in Ashgabat in 2021.
Following the official part, the President of Turkmenistan kick started a largescale bicycle ride and cycled in the front line of cyclists. Headed by the head of state, a column of cyclists covered a distance of 15 thousand meters along the streets of the Turkmen capital, finishing on the main square near the presidential palace.
Largescale bicycle rides and exhibition sports performances were held in all regional centers of Turkmenistan.
Source: Turkmenistan.ru