Poland's Niemiec wins 1st stage of Turkey Cycling Tour

ISTANBUL

Polish cyclist Przemyslaw Niemiec from Italy's Lampre-Merida team has won the first stage of the "Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey".

The cycling tour began Sunday morning with the Istanbul-to-Istanbul stage.

In the 129.2-kilometer-long stage, Niemiec came first in front of 122 other cyclists in 3h10mn19s.

Portugal's Jose Goncalves riding for the Spanish Caja Rural-Seguros RGA team came in second in the race at 3h10mn30s, while Italian cyclist Marco Zanotti from Holland's Parkhotel Valkenburg Continential came in third in 3h10mn35s.

The riders departed from the Besiktas district on the European side and rode to Beykoz on the Asian side via the Bosphorus Bridge. They rode back to the European side to complete the race.

Organized traditionally by the Turkish Cycling Federation, the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey started in 1963 as the Marmara Tour and gained an international status for the first time in 1965.

For its 52nd edition, the tour will unfold in eight stages between April 24 and May 1.

Unlike previous years - when the last stage was held in Istanbul - this year the tour started with the Istanbul stage and will end in western Izmir province's Selcuk district on May 1.

By the end of the eight-day race, over 120 cyclists will have ridden over 1,250 kilometers in Turkey's Aegean, Mediterranean, and Central Anatolia regions.

Two world tour teams, nine professional continent teams and one continent team have so far confirmed their participations.

The Turkish Cycling Tour will be broadcast live on national and international channels in more than 120 countries.

The tour route will be as follows:

Stage 1 Istanbul-Istanbul

Stage 2 Cappadocia-Cappadocia

Stage 3 Aksaray-Konya

Stage 4 Seydisehir-Alanya

Stage 5 Alanya – Kemer

Stage 6 Kumluca – Elmali

Stage 7 Fethiye – Marmaris

Stage 8 Marmaris – Selcuk (Izmir)