At the end of a hilly and windswept race in stunning Cappadocia, Pello Bilbao (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA) won stage 2, the Salcano Kapadokya - Kapadokya Stage (154.1 km), of the 52nd Presidential Tour of Turkey.
Przemys³aw Niemiec (Lampre – Merida) was isolated on the final climb, but defended his lead valiently. He conceded 10" but preserved his SporToto turquoise race leader's jersey by 6".
(. Photo credit: Tour of Turkey/Brian Hodes)
Stage result:
1. Pello Bilbao (Caja Rural – Seguros RGA) 154.1 km in 4h18'51"
2.José Gonçalves (Caja Rural – Seguros RGA) @ 10"
3. Mauro Finetto (Unieuro Wilier) s.t.
The Jerseys
SporToto Turquoise Jersey (Race leader): Przemys³aw Niemiec (Lampre - Merida)
Turkish Airlines Red Jersey (Mountains): Rémy Di Gregorio (Delko Marseille Provence KTM)
Vestel White Jersey (Beauties of Turkey Sprints): Lluís Mas (Caja Rural – Seguros RGA)
Salcano Green Jersey (Sprints): José Gonçalves (Caja Rural – Seguros RGA)
RIDER COMMENTS:
SporToto Turquoise Jersey (Race leader) Przemys³aw Niemiec (Lampre – Merida): "It was hard today, because of Caja Rural on the final lap. They were frightening. They caused some damage. There were 14 or 15 riders in the group and 6 of them were from Caja Rural. At that point, I decided to work with them. If I tried to stay behind in safety, I ran the risk of losing my place in the echelons because the wind was very strong. Today my team was good. Fortunately, a group of 3 got away early and stayed away until the final lap, when Caja Rural set fire to the race. I knew that there'd be attacks from them on the final lap. It was hard to cover them all. I stayed on the wheels and my team mate Koshevoy, closed down the first few attacks then pulled for me until 500m, when I sprinted for 2nd place. I've achieved the goal I started the stage with this morning. I wanted to keep the jersey, and I have. For me, it is important: the last time I was in a race leader was in 2009, at the Route du Sud in France, which I won. So it's a great pleasure to lead a race after seven years. It would have been much better if I'd still had Petilli on the final kilometres, but he dropped out of the group in the wind. Koshevoy was really good today to close down so many moves. I have to thank him today, especially, he rode very well. Tonight I'll buy him a beer."
(Photo credit: Tour of Turkey/Brian Hodes)
Stage winner Pello Bilbao (Caja Rural – Seguros RGA): "I said before coming here that I was really motivated, this is a special race for me and for the team. Last year we did a great job and we wanted to do the same thing this year. We came here to fight for the overall, although we needed to go day by day and to do a goood job today because it was a great opportunity for me, after Elmali, which may be too hard, I don't know. The team did a really great job today, I could be alone int eh last 2 km and maybe, if I wa wasn't me, Arroyo or another team mate could have been in my place. One of the team mates had to go to the frtonty to put the leader in a complicated situation to force Lampre to work, and it went fantastically. I want to thank all the team. This is for all the team.
"Last year at Elmali, I faced a difficult situation because I think, 50 or 60 km from the finish, there were crosswinds and the group was going really, really fast, and in the worse moment I had a puncture and I coudn't do anything to get back into the group, so that day I had to say goodbye to the overall, and I started thinking of the Selkuk stage, and I did a good job there. Maybe If I had been fighting for the overall I wouldn't have been able to win there.
"One year on, I see that the leader is in a very good moment, he's preparing the Giro so we have to use a team strategy because maybe one by one we can't do the best work. We have to use the team to go for victory.
"In the first two laps we had an opportunity to see the landscape. It is a really beautiful place. I came to Istanbul three years ago, and I wanted to come here, so today was a great opportunity to see Cappadocia. It is a really interesting and different landscape. You can't see in many places like it in the world."
(Click through for Hi Res. Photo credit: Tour of Turkey/Brian Hodes)
Second placed José Gonçalves (Caja Rural – Seguros RGA): “Today was one of the hardest stages of the TUR. We knew that we had to increase the rhythm in order to break the main group. Our objective was to win the stage, knowing that we also had several possibilities on GC, mainly with Pello. We’ll see day by day but we’re racing well so far.”
Third placed Mauro Finetto (Unieuro Wilier): "It’s always good to make the podium even though it would have been better to win but after all the work they’ve done, Caja Rural deserved to win. They have made the decision. [team-mate Giovanni] Carboni helped to stay in the group when I was in difficulty with 3km to go. Then I sprinted for second place and Gonçalves passed me. It was a day of suffering with the wind and strange feelings in the peloton after travelling last night.”
King of the Mountains Rémy Di Gregorio (Delko Marseille Provence KTM): “When I realized the [3-man] breakaway was caught, I went for the KOM price because the opportunity was there but my main focus was on winning the stage. However, with six riders from Caja Rural out of fifteen in the front group, it was a difficult task. As a team, they’re superior in this race. I still contributed to their work because of the crosswinds. I attacked with 3km to go but it didn’t work out. The red jersey is good for my team though.”
Beauties of Turkey leader Lluis Mas (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA): “I think we had a very good luck today. It was a strange stage. Arriving here in Cappadocia, most of the teams looked like taking it easy, racing on a relaxed mode. I personally also felt a bit flat but our coach told us to make the race hard with 40km to go. After we passed the finishing line one lap before the end, we split the group in the crosswinds. In the final ascent, we got Ricardo Vilela to attack to make the leader’s life difficult and that led to a counter attack by Pello Bilbao. It’s perfect because out of the six of us in the front group, our GC rider eventually wins the stage.”
How it happened
The stage started at 11:00. After a 1.8 km neutralised section, the riders started the 36.4 km circuit through the extraordinary natural beauty of the Cappadocia region, which the TUR visited today for the first time in its history.
In strong WSW winds of 18 knots, gusting at 24 knots, an early breakaway of three riders formed: dossard numbers 62, Eduard Michael Grosu (Nippo - Vini Fantini); 76, Eugert Zhupa (Southeast - Venezuela); and 81, Nicolas Baldo (Team Roth). Baldo, from Clermont Ferrand (like Romain Bardet), lay 63rd in GC at 36". Zhupa, a rare Albanian pro recovering from a recent collarbone break at 3 Days of La Panne, and Grosu, one of the few Romanian pro cyclists, finished two places apart yeaterday, 106th and 108th respectively, at 4'27".
The intermediate sprint at km 37 finished thus:
1. (5 pts) Eugert Zhupa (STH)
2. (3 pts) Nicolas Baldo (ROT)
3. (1 pt) Eduard Michael Grosu (NIP)
The Salcano Green Jersey was worn during the stage by José Gonçalves, 2nd in the classification behind Przemys³aw Niemiec (Lampre - Merida), who took all 15 points on offer at yesterday's stage finish.
The trio achieved their maximum advantage of 4'20" in this phase of the stage.
Beauties of Turkey sprint: Km 78.4 (Göreme [ˈɟøɾeme], home of the fairy chimneys):
1. (5 pts) Eduard Michael Grosu (NIP)
2. (3 pts) Eugert Zhupa (STH)
3, (1 pt) Nicolas Baldo (ROT)
Grosu moved equal in points with Lluís Mas in the Beauties of Turkey sprints competition. Mas crashed in the final metres yesterday and finished the stage 99th, although he was credited with the same time as the group of 44 riders at 16". Grosu would have to complete the stage 4'11" faster than Mas to take the lead in the competition: an unlikely scenario.
King of the Mountains Prime: km 81.0 (Cat 2) Uçhisar:
1. (5 pts) Eugert Zhupa (STH)
2. (3 pts) Nicolas Baldo (ROT)
3. (2 pts) Eduard Michael Grosu (NIP)
4. (1 pt) Rémy Di Gregorio (DMP)
At the head of the peloton, Rémy Di Gregorio took the final point unchallenged, keeping his absolute lead in that competition by one point.
Despite buffeting winds and some steep sections, the leaders completed 104 km in the first 3 hours of racing. However, with 50 km to go, Unieuro Wilier, Astana City and Lotto Belisol moved to the front of the peloton, hitherto led by Lampre - Merida. The increase pace neutralised the breakaway, which was caught at km 108, with 45 km to go in the stage and 9 until the second and final King of the Mountains point of the race. Zhupa's bid to take that jersey had failed.
On the steep sectipon exiting Göreme, with 40.6 km to go, rider 23, Ricardo Vilela (CJR) attacked. Vilela lay 17th in GC at 16". He was soon caught , but the move signalled the intent of a team with 6 riders at 16". Vilela was soon caught, and Lluís Mas then made a darting attack. The peloton split into a number of groups, with Mas forcing the pace at the front and 6 CJR team-mates behind him, at the head of a leading group of about twenty-five, that included the race leader Niemiec and a number of CCC riders.
At the second mountains prize, Rémy Di Gregorio (DMP) passed first, followed by three CJR riders.
King of the Mountains Prime: km 117.4 (Cat 2) Uçhisar:
1. (5 pts) Rémy Di Gregorio (DMP)
2. (3 pts) Ricardo Vilela (CJR)
3. (2 pts) Pello Bilbao (CJR)
4. (1 pt) José Gonaçalves (CJR)
Di Gregorio now led that competition with a total of 9 points, and would keep the red King of the Mountains jersey, sponsored by Turkish Airlines. Zhupa (STH) lay second with 5 points.
Photo credit: Tour of Turkey/Brian Hodes)
With a strong sidewinds from the right, CJR formed an echelon and raised the pace. Under the pressure of their team time trial, riders like Davide Rebellin (CCC) and Adam Hansen (TLS) were suddenly 50 m behind the lead group of 15. They were the race leader, Przemys³aw Niemiec (LAM), and his team-mate Ilia Koshevoy (LAM, @ 30" in GC). Six CJR riders, including the second-placed rider in GC, José Gonçalves (CJR) @ 11", and one of the hot favourites for overall victory here, Pello Bilbao (CJR) @ 16". Sylwester Szmyd (CCC) @ 16", Quentin Pacher (DMP), also @ 16", plus his team-mate, the King of the Mountains Rémy Di Gregorio (DMP) @ 32", and four more riders, all at 16" of the race leader: Nikita Stalnov (TSE), Ahmet Orken (TRK), Giovanni Carboni (UNI) and Mauro Finetto (UNI).
Behind the forcing by Caja Rural, a group of seven chasers, all of whom lay at 16" with respect to the race lead, including Rebellin and Hansen, lost time. The seven were as follows:
7 Simone Petilli (LAM) @ 16"
15 Adam Hansen (TLS) @ 16"
16 Greg Henderson {TLS) @ 16"
74 Enrique Salz (STH) @ 16"
95 Karel Hnik (VAT) @ 16"
132 Jochem Hoekstra (PVC) @ 16"
135 Jasper Ockjeloen (PVC) @ 16"
With just over 17 km to go, a crash in the front group saw Szmyd go down after apparently touching a wheel after a swerve caused by the strong wind. Szmyd then rode brilliantly through the cars to regain the leaders.
With ten km to go, the seven chasers lagged 1'05 " behind. After in four hours of racing, the leaders had covered 140km. With 5.9 km to go, Vilela attacked again for CJR. Niemiec set his team-mate Koshevoy to chase. Leaving Göreme for the last time, Ahmet Orken (TRK) dropped out of the back of that group.
Di Gregorio accelerated, and led the group past Vilela. Six riders then rode off the front of the leaders. four of them Caja Rurals. Inside 3km, that leading group of six had become four. Niemiec was isolated with three Cajar Rural riders - Bilbao, Gonaçalvses and Arroyo - in the leading group of four. Pello Bilbao then attacked. Gonçalves and Arroyo stayed on Niemiec's wheel. Niemiec raised the pace to contain Bilbao's attack, but too late.
Nonetheless, Niemiec, isolated, defended his lead valiently, conceding 9" but preserving the SporToto Turquoise Jersey of the Race leader by 7". Gonçalves and Finetto (UNI) finished just ahead of him in second and third. For Gonçalves, his second second place brought the consolation of the Salcano Green Sprints Jersey.
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