At its peak, 30,<> people participated in the Tel Aviv Roundabout. Success did not help this year's event / Niv Aharonson
Ron Huldai, Mayor of Tel Aviv/official website, photo: Guy Yehieli
Since 2010, the Tel Aviv Bicycle Round Event has been held on Sukkot, one of the most popular popular sports events in Israel, attended by about 30,8 people a year. The event was cancelled only during the coronavirus period, for fear that it would encourage mass infection, and last year it was renewed.
As usual, the riders passed through central points throughout Tel Aviv, including Ayalon Highway, Hayarkon Street and Rokach Boulevard, which were closed especially for them. Riders had at their disposal a series of heats, ranging from 60 to <> km, from those intended for families to those intended for professional riders.
Tel Aviv residents never liked the road closures for the event. Just before the elections, this is not the time to upset them/Niv Aharonson
This year, the race was cancelled again, unexpectedly, even though many have already made it one of their regular holiday events. This is not a cheap event, but one that the municipality has always supported thanks to the many visitors it brings to Tel Aviv, and spends time there afterward. The event has always been sponsored by a long list of commercial entities, chief among them Strauss, which used it to promote its Turkish coffee and served as the main sponsor.
Last year, Huldai was still celebrating when launching the race: "The surrounding event is one of the most beautiful and prominent traditions in the city, which is a great experience, not only for its participants, but also for the residents and visitors of the city. The event takes place at a time when the city is undergoing a challenging transportation change, at the end of which mobility in Tel Aviv-Yafo will be faster, convenient, cheaper, healthier and safer, similar to the leading cities in the world."
This year, when the race was supposed to take place about a month before the local elections, Huldai was more attentive to criticism, especially in light of his critics' claims that too much infrastructure work in the city had been carried out, disrupting vehicular traffic and disturbing pedestrians as well. Every year, many Tel Aviv residents were outraged by the closure of roads on race day, not only Ayalon South, but also a well-laid out line of roads in the south and center of the city.
The Tel Aviv municipality said the event was cancelled "because there is a load of work and they do not want to further harm the conduct in the public space."
- More on the subject:
- Round Tel Aviv
- Ron Huldai
