Trophies for L'Etape Türkiye by Tour de France handcrafted in Mardin

The trophies of the Turkish stage of the L'Etape by Tour de France series, one of the most prestigious races in cycling, have been crafted in Mardin, an eastern province of Türkiye.

The Turkish stage of the L'Etape by Tour de France series, the special concept of the Tour de France, will be held in Istanbul on October 19-20 this year, marking its debut in Türkiye.

Thousands of athletes from at least 30 countries are expected to participate the race, which will consist of 106.8 kilometres of ‘Long’, 55.8 kilometres of ‘Short’ and 6.7 kilometres of ‘Family and Kids’ routes.

Mardin, with the support of Governor Tuncay Akkoyun, participated as a cultural partner in the competition, which will make a great contribution to the promotion of Türkiye and is expected to reach more than 50 million people.

The trophies, which will be awarded at the end of the competition, were designed by Ibrahim Halil Eldem, a designer based in Mardin.

Mardin's rich historical heritage

Eldem, the competition’s Türkiye leg’s creative director, said that they are excited to host such a major international cycling race in Türkiye.

Noting that the race will be held in Türkiye for the first time this year and will be broadcast on all international sports channels, Eldem said the race will be broadcast in 70 countries and more than 50 million interactions are expected.

Eldem revealed that he devoted several days to conceptualising the trophy, drawing inspiration from the region’s rich historical heritage.

“The idea for the trophy first took shape when I sketched a design on a napkin, inspired by the bead necklace from the 14,000-year-old Boncuklu Tarla (the Beaded Field). The first sketches of our cup appeared.

Then I spoke with archaeologists and got more technical information about Mardin. In the end, we all agreed on the trophy's shape and drew it afterward."

Symbolising Beaded Field, Mesopotamia

Eldem said they feel a deep sense of responsibility as people of the region to highlight Mardin's rich history and wanted to do so in a beautiful way.

"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.

Explaining that he was very excited while designing the trophy, Eldem said he was very happy that the trophy had beautiful traces of Mardin.

Eldem added that 28 trophies prepared in Mardin will be given to the ranking athletes.