(Presidential) Cycling Tour of Turkey [April 11th-April18th 2021]

[SafeBet]

Modolo is also coming back after almost 6 months without a bike race and some serious knee issues. I don't expect him to be anywhere near top shape.

 

[SafeBet]

Btw lot of snow has fallen in Turkey and a few stages might not happen. Gonna be really cold anyway.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

The first stage has been cancelled.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1380830157334794242

 

[Pinot's goat]

They are trying to stop Cav from winning, disgusting.

 

[ciranda]

Race will start tomorrow after all with this stage for the sprinters.

 

[Pinot's goat]

They are trying to stop Cav from winning, disgusting.

I would like to apologise to the organisers since they have now given him another sprint opportunity.

 

[BlueRoads]

I'll share this here:

Ein Schneesturm, den ich so noch nie erlebt habe | radsport-news.com

www.radsport-news.com

Jon Knolle (Team SKS Sauerland NRW):

On Friday morning I started my trip to the Tour of Turkey. Since one part of our team is currently contesting the first races on Rhodes, the other half had prepared for a longer race-free time. The invitation to Turkey surprised us all. So it was now time to go back to racing mode.

Four of us flew from Düsseldorf to Istanbul. This is where the rest of the riders, who were leaving Rhodes at short notice, joined us. In the evening we took the connecting plane to Nevsehir in the heart of the Kapadokyens mountains. It started to snow on the drive to the hotel in the late evening. This morning the view from the window was frightening: a closed blanket of snow. Riding a bike was impossible. The start of the 1st stage became increasingly unlikely. The weather forecasts also gave no reason for hope. On the contrary: The next few days should be even worse.

Around noon, the expected news came: the stage was canceled. Most of the other teams were with us in the hotel. However, many of them, just like us, did not have any roles. So in the afternoon eating, putting your feet up, killing time were on the agenda.

Finally we got the first positive news: The 1st stage is to be moved to a section of the 2nd stage in Konya. The last 70 mostly flat kilometers should be driven here. The weather was supposedly better there. Everyone spontaneously packed their things and moved the transfer that was originally planned one day later.

In the early evening we took the bus towards Konya. 280 kilometers to the east. And then we understood why the race was canceled. After fifty kilometers we passed the race director's car, which was lying in the ditch. It was cold, incredibly windy and the view was only a few meters. A blizzard that I've never seen before. Several traffic jams due to accidents dragged on the journey.

After four hours of driving, we reached Konya late in the evening. We all hope that the shortened stage will take place tomorrow and that the tour can start as planned. The set 70 kilometers will be sporty.

Until tomorrow!
Your Jon

 

[wheresmybrakes]

10k done and I think I could probably keep up with them. No break yet, couple of attempts but nothing stuck. Sunday morning ride.

 

[wheresmybrakes]

Me and my mother have broke away but QS not giving us more than 20 seconds. Whimps!

 

[RedheadDane]

Several riders deciding to keep their face coverings on for the race.

Nice shot of Jakobsen there.

 

[Lequack]

Was Tour of Turkey always so sprint friendly? I remember there being a lot of hills in the past. Now it seems that even desert races are more hilly.

 

[RedheadDane]

Was Tour of Turkey always so sprint friendly? I remember there being a lot of hills in the past. Now it seems that even desert races are more hilly.

Well, two years ago the stage winners were; S. Bennett, S. Bennett, Jakobsen, Ewan, Grossschartner, and Ewan. So... quite a few sprint stages then.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Was Tour of Turkey always so sprint friendly? I remember there being a lot of hills in the past. Now it seems that even desert races are more hilly.

It went through a period of being hilly, but there was a period where it was a very dull race largely along the coast. Look at 2010's results for example. Greipel, Greipel, Visconti, Visconti, Greipel, Greipel, Viviani, Greipel. And Viviani only won because Greipel crashed. 2012 they added the Elmalı MTF and 2013 they added Selcuk as a second uphill finish, both of which were rendered more exciting because of the small team winning the race with very limited support. They had some good editions in the mid 2010s, there was 2016 in particular when Caja Rural schooled everybody on echelon racing 101 on stage 2, then Lotto took everybody to the advanced class on stage 3, leading to four riders from each team in the top 10 (seriously look at this).

 

[SafeBet]

It's been a very sprinter friendly race in the last few years.
Bennett has won like 9-10 stages in 3 editions.

 

[Lequack]

Coming from yesterday's exciting Basque stage to this is really something else. It's like going from watching The Transformers to watching a nature documentary about turtles.

 

[RedheadDane]

I'm starting to have some doubts in the on-screen time-ticker.

Where the *** is Rolf Sørensen when we need him?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I'm starting to have some doubts in the on-screen time-ticker.

Where the *** is Rolf Sørensen when we need him?

He's not presidential enough.

Will it be a Cav/Greipel showdown?

 

[RedheadDane]

Halvorsen, I think.

Wobbly camera-work!

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Uno-X rode that perfectly, but de Kleijn came very, very close.

Edit: He actually did just pass Halvorsen or maybe not

 

[RedheadDane]

Maybe De Kleijn actually won.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Wot no feed?

 

[Bonimenier]

I hope de Kleijn won so the Uno-X guy in the background looks more ridiculous.

 

[yaco]

Big time sprinters were caught out of position - Cavendish nearly crashed on a corner with 500 metres to go.

 

[RedheadDane]

De Kleijn win confirmed.

 

[Carols]

Kirby carrying on about Cav could have won LMAO!