Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey 2024, 21st to 28th April

[Rob5091]

8 stages around Turkey with the traditional last stage in Istanbul.
Only 4 WT teams - Bora, DSM, Alpecin & Astana this year.
Startlist at https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-of-turkey/2024/startlist/startlist
Sprinters Welsford, Cav & Jakobsen, GC wise, it's pretty open. Lutsenko won last year with a memorable win on Babadag, but absent this year, so time for a new champ.

Website in English at https://www.tourofturkiye.org.tr/en
Road book in English at https://www.tourofturkiye.org.tr/Content/files/2024/Yaris_Rehberi/2024_Tanitim_Rehberi_v4.pdf
Map and all the profiles at https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-of-turkey/2024/route/overview-map

Queen stage is Friday's stage 6 to Manisa which finishes on Spil Dagi

Not as awe inspiring as Babadag but a decent climb to decide who wins the GC.

 

[Rob5091]

Stage 1 on Sunday - Antalya to Antalya (yes it's a loop!) 134.7 km, start 9.29 CET, TV from 10.30 CET. (note the early TV times!) Should be a bunch sprint with a flat run in.

Finish of stage 1 - right hander at about 800m then straight to the line -

 

[Red Rick]

Not that same MTF of last year?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Luckily Cav has three final leadout men who can all replace him if he‘s dropped on a mole hill.

 

[Rob5091]

Not that same MTF of last year?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

No Babadag sorry to say. As it's April (last year's race was in October) it might be a weather problem. There was snow the year Remco was in Turkey (2019).

 

[staubsauger]

Spil Dagi is were Sepulveda has beaten injured Quintana in 2022!

Decent climb back then.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Not that same MTF of last year?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Only good thing in years about the Geitennelking Tour of Turkey in years...

 

[Devil's Elbow]

No Babadag sorry to say. As it's April (last year's race was in October) it might be a weather problem. There was snow the year Remco was in Turkey (2019).

The 2019 MTF was a lot further north, though.

 

[Rob5091]

Well, we can be pretty certain Cav is glad there's no Babadag this year, and talking of Cav, we all know that this race is just an aperitif before the hype of the Tour and that one win. The more wins here, the bigger the hype.

 

[RedheadDane]

Alpecin are called what for this race?

 

[Lequack]

Tour of Turkey, a sprinters paradise. Where every stage is a sprint stage.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Ah, Kalkan. I had a stage idea for around there.

It looked like this:

First climb there is the main one in the real stage, then they follow the coast road whereas I go over a mountain to get to Kalkan then have a loop with the final climb.

 

[Rob5091]

Peloton compacto and we're on for a sprint.

 

[RedheadDane]

That was impressive more people didn't go down there.

 

[glassmoon]

why tf aren't they showing the remaining distance?

 

[glassmoon]

Astanafail

 

[RedheadDane]

Jakobsen gets it.

 

[Rob5091]

Messy, messy messy, but chapeau Jakobsen!

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Thread is clearly missing a poll. But not everyone might agree. So best to make a poll to ask everybody's opinion.

 

[Rob5091]

Cav & Welsford messed up today, but tomorrow is another day, but a little tricky.
Stage 2 Monday, Kemer to Kas (Kalkan), 190.6 km, start 10.21 CET, TV from 13.30 CET

Finish is a long drag uphill, 800m @ 5.4 %, so not so easy for the likes of Cav.

 

[Rob5091]

It says 800m but stage 2's finish looks more like 500 m @ 5.4% according to the roadbook -

Either way, an uphill drag for the sprinters.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Ah, Kalkan. I had a stage idea for around there.

It looked like this:

First climb there is the main one in the real stage, then they follow the coast road whereas I go over a mountain to get to Kalkan then have a loop with the final climb.

I had a nice idea what one could do with the diffent sides of a brute of a climb like Kartepe
https://www.cronoescalada.com/tracks/viewTour/48997

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I had a nice idea what one could do with the diffent sides of a brute of a climb like Kartepe
https://www.cronoescalada.com/tracks/viewTour/48997

That's an awesome finale. If they had another MTF earlier in the race so there's definite gaps, then had that on the penultimate day with the brutal side of Kartepe second, you'd be guaranteeing a good 45km of action at least.

 

[RedheadDane]

Jakobsen gets it.

@Sandisfan, why are you sad about that?

 

[Sandisfan]

@Sandisfan, why are you sad about that?

Sprint stages LOL. Just adding to the pile of wins for prolific sprinters, that's all. Jakobsen is a good guy but I like seeing different riders win sprints for some intrigue.