Argos Shimano's Marcel Kittel won the Presidental Tour Of Turkey opening stage.
This annual race attracted some big names for its opening 126km stage which started and finished in Alanya.
With 25 kms to go, Katusha's Mikhail Ignatyev went on a solo break but was caught and It came down to a sprint and Marcel Kittel took the win in 3.08.27 ahead of Andre Greipel, Yuriy Metlushenko with British rider Andy Fenn finishing fifth.
“Today was a very good example of how a team should work,” said Kittel said to his team's press office. “In the last 5km we had to brake because of a crash, which forced us to chase back, but the guys did their job and we moved up to the front all together.
“I was able to start sprinting late, with Koen leading me out. When the other riders around me started their sprint I followed. I had to find a gap, which wasn’t a problem, and I was able to pass them.
“I have really good legs at the moment. Last week we had a great training camp at the team’s base in Spain, and we worked hard on our sprint, conditioning and also tactics, and this win is a great reward. I look forward to wearing the leader’s jersey tomorrow and hope to wear it for another day.”