ANTALYA, Turkey
Twenty-one teams, 168 cyclists, are competing in eight stages of the 51st Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey, which began last Sunday in Turkey's Mediterranean resort town of Alanya and will last until May 3.
The tour hosts some of world’s elite competitors like British cyclist Mark Cavendish, who has won the first two stages of the tour this year. This is the second time he takes part in the Tour of Turkey.
Last year, Cavendish, racing for the Etixx-Quick-Step team, won four stages of the tour and was awarded the best sprinter award.
Cavendish has won 25 Tour de France stages, placing him third on the all-time winners list of the world’s most famous cycling race.
Belgian Tom Boonen, another member of the Etixx-Quick-Step team, is considered to be one of Cavendish’s main opponents in this year's tour.
Among other known competitors participating in the Tour of Turkey are German cyclists Marcel Kittel and Andre Greipel.
Turkey’s Torku Sekerspor, which came in fourth place last year, is the only continental team competing in the race.
Stages
The Tour of Turkey consists of flat stages and two climbing ones, of which the Gogubeli pass, 1,850 meters above sea level, is considered to be one of the most difficult of the tour.
In addition, the Selcuk pass, in the tour's sixth stage, will have cyclists pedaling up to 400 meters high in the last five kilometers to reach the House of the Virgin Mary.
Last year, British road and track racing cyclist Adam Yates from Australian team, Orica GreenEDGE, won the sixth stage and was later crowned the winner of the 50th Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey.
UNESCO World Heritage site Pamukkale, located in the southwestern Denizli province, was once again included in the tour after a four-year absence.
It is featured in the tour's fifth stage to be held on Thursday.
This year’s seventh stage will run through Turkey’s western province of Manisa for the first time. The finish line will be in Izmir; cyclists will then travel to Istanbul on for the eighth and final stage - a course that connects Europe to Asia via the Bosphorus Bridge, making it the only international cycling race linking two continents.
History
First organized in 1963 under the name Marmara Cycling Tour, the tour gained international recognition in 1965. Since 1966, the tour takes place under the Turkish president's patronage.
The tour has emerged as an opportunity to showcase Turkish landscape. It has been live-broadcasted by domestic and foreign TV channels of 190 countries since 2009.
Last year’s event was broadcasted for a total of 183 hours to a 588.4 million households.
Stages of the 51st Presidential Cycling Tour:
| 1st Stage |
Alanya-Alanya |
145 km |
April 26 |
| 2nd Stage |
Alanya-Antalya |
182 km |
April 27 |
| 3rd Stage |
Kemer-Elmalı |
165 km |
April 28 |
| 4th Stage |
Fethiye-Marmaris |
132 km |
April 29 |
| 5th Stage |
Muğla-Pamukkale |
160 km |
April 30 |
| 6th Stage |
Denizli-Selçuk |
184 km |
May 1 |
| 7th Stage |
Selçuk-İzmir |
166 km |
May 2 |
| 8th Stage |
İstanbul-İstanbul |
124 km |
May 3
|
Professional teams:
Astana Pro Team (Kazakhstan)
Orica-GreenEDGE (Australia)
Lampre-Merida (Italy)
Lotto-Soudal (Belgium)
Etixx-Quick Step (Belgium)
Tinkoff-Saxo (Rusia)
Pro-continental teams:
Androni Giocattoli (Italy)
Bardiani-CSF (Italy)
Bretagne-Seche Environnement (France)
Caja Rural-Seguros RGA (Spain)
CCC Sprandi-Polkowice (Poland)
Team Colombia (Colombia)
Drapac Professional Cycling (Australia)
MTN-Qhubeka (South Africa)
Southeast (Italy)
Nippo-Vini Fantini (Italy)
Team Novo Nordisk (USA)
Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise (Belgium)
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team (USA)
Wanty-Groupe Gobert (Belgium)
Continental teams:
Torku Sekerspor (Turkey)
