3-day Int`l Cycling Race Marking Korean War Ends

A parade of bikers rode toward the heart of South Korea after crossing the Korean Peninsula.

The 2010 Tour de DMZ-Seoul International Road Cycling Race, a march of peace convened to mark the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, came to a grand finale at Sejong-ro in downtown Seoul Sunday after three days of competition.

The event was jointly hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Gangwon Province, the South Korean Army, the Korea Cycling Federation and The Dong-A Ilbo. Bikers from around the world departed Friday from Tongil (Unification) Observatory in Goseong County, Gangwon Province.

They pedaled through Eulji Observatory, Punch Ball (a battleground of the Korean War), Hwacheon Demilitarized Zone, and a former North Korean Workers’ Party building in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, in a campaign intended to heal the pain of the peninsula`s divide. Images of bikers clad in colorful uniforms racing en masse amid autumn colors was beautiful enough to allow spectators to momentarily forget the national tragedy that occurred six decades ago.

With many world-class bikers competing in this year’s event, Tomasz Marczynski of Poland’s CCC Polsat won the individual competition with a time of 11 hours, 1 minute, 9 seconds. He first took the lead in Section 1, the race’s toughest part in which riders had to pass through Misiryeong Pass and Eulji Observatory, heralding his eventual victory.

Jang Kyung-gu, who ranked second in Section 1, was the runner-up by 11 seconds. His finish helped Korea retain its confidence as the host country amid dominance by teams from cycling powerhouse Europe.

After elite bikers left, the 2010 Bicycle Festival with Gyeonggi Province was convened at the exhibition center KINTEX in Goyang. More than 2,000 Korean bikers took part and pedaled through a wide open street.

why@donga.com