In one of the more bizarre cycling-related political rows of recent years, a Turkish governor has been sacked following widespread backlash over his decision to wear Lycra cycling kit – at events promoting cycling.

Mehmet Fatih Çiçekli, governor of the north-eastern Ardahan province, was dismissed last week by presidential decree signed by Turkey’s resident Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after just six months in the role.

While no explanation was given for the sacking, it came in the wake of a social media controversy surrounding Çiçekli and his choice of attire while riding his bike during a public event encouraging cycling, as well as his subsequent social media posts of his rides.

Çiçekli also shared footage of hundreds of people taking part in a cycling event and called for a cycling festival to be organised in Ardahan.

Along with his cycling clips, he also posted videos of himself rowing on Lake Çıldır, arguing that his activities demonstrated “the unifying power of sport”.

However, in a parliamentary debate at the start of July, Inan Akgun Alp, a member of the Republican People’s Party, the main opposition party in Turkey, accused Cicekli of wearing “inappropriate” clothing for a governor and said he was “spending all day creating social media content”, ignoring his official duties.

“He goes around in tights, spends all day cycling, with bodyguards in front of him, cycling in tights until the evening,” Alp told the Turkish parliament. “A governor cannot wander around the city centre like this. That’s no way for a governor to behave.”

That criticism was echoed by a former member of Erdogan’s ruling party, Samil Tayyar, who noted that other politicians tend to opt for tracksuit bottoms when cycling.

“People can wear whatever they want in their private lives, but a governor cannot visit the public in tights while on duty; it does not align with the seriousness of the state,” Tayyar said.

“In a traditional social setting like Ardahan, it is completely unacceptable.”

Responding to this criticism at the time, Çiçekli said: “Actually, sometimes you need to forget. Rather than living through titles and labels, it’s good to know you’re a human being and remain one.

“The things that make you yourself, such as sports, cycling and rowing, aren’t bad things. They’re things that everyone, at every age, should be doing.”

Since the sacking, an Change.org petition, titled ‘Ardahan Governor Mehmet Fatih Çiçekli Should Remain in Office’, has attracted over 10,000 signatures, while a group of cyclists accompanied the former governor as he left his office on his final day of work.

“The decision to remove Ardahan Governor Mehmet Fatih Çiçekli from his post has caused sadness and concern among many citizens who care about the future of our province,” the petition says, while insisting that it has “no political aims”.

The petitioners pointed out that Çiçekli has “accomplished significant work” and enabled cycling tourism in the province to flourish.

“Sports activities for young people have increased, and young people’s habits of participating in sports have been developed,” the petition says.

“We emphasise the necessity of Mehmet Fatih Çiçekli continuing in his role as Governor of Ardahan.”

Nacho Sánchez Amor, a Spanish MEP and rapporteur on Turkey for the European Union, also defended the former governor, accusing him of criticising the “most normal thing”.

“All my respect and solidarity with the Governor Mehmet Fatih Çiçekli. A normal citizen wearing sport clothes when doing sport,” Sánchez Amor wrote on X.

Posting a photo of a woman cycling in a long skirt, he continued: “My astonishment because someone from CHP criticised the most normal thing endorsing the Islamist conservative agenda. Is this the CHP proposal for women?”

Asked what he will do after being ejected from office, Çiçekli said: “Keep pedalling.”

“I am an athlete who practices sailing, rowing, and cycling,” he said. “The clothes I’m wearing are sportswear. I do sports in sports clothes.”