Nationwide Riders Embrace Naju... Cycling 120km Along the Riverside Breeze

"I ran freely across the fields of Naju. It was truly the best."

The '2024 Yeongsangang Granfondo Competition' held in Naju concluded successfully.

Naju City, Jeollanam-do announced on the 11th that the 'Gwangju MBC 2024 Yeongsangang Granfondo Competition' was held at Yeongsangang Riverside Sports Park.

Hosted and organized by Gwangju MBC and the Jeollanam-do Bicycle Federation, this event featured two categories, Granfondo and Mediofondo, with over 1,400 cyclists from across the country filling the Yeongsangang area.

The nationwide cyclists started from Yeongsangang Riverside Sports Park in the morning, enjoying the beautiful scenery of Naju and the atmosphere of spring as they raced.

Granfondo, an Italian term, refers to a non-competitive cycling event for enthusiasts; the Granfondo course covers 125.4 km, and the Mediofondo course covers 104.1 km.

In the competition results, in the Granfondo category, male cyclist Kim Hong-jung recorded 3 hours 19 minutes 38 seconds, and female cyclist Oh Eun-sook recorded 3 hours 57 minutes 38 seconds, winning the championship honors.

In the Mediofondo category, male cyclist Kim Kyung-soon and female cyclist Park Joo-hee won the gold medals, recording 3 hours 5 minutes 6 seconds and 3 hours 59 minutes 55 seconds respectively.

Based on the experience of the first competition held last year, the event was praised for operating the best course and a highly complete competition. The entire process was broadcast live nationwide through MBC and YouTube Live, generating great response and interest.

Yoon Byung-tae, Mayor of Naju, said, "I thank all the athletes who visited Naju with their passionate enthusiasm for riding," and added, "We will continue to do our best to promote the beautiful Yeongsangang River and the charm of Naju to many people."

Naju = Kim Yuk-bong, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy bless4ya@asiae.co.kr