Poland's Przemysław Niemiec (Lampre - Merida) has won stage one of , the Spor Toto İstanbul - İstanbul stage (129.2 km), of the 52nd Presidential Tour of Turkey, after joining the early breakaway and then riding solo for 39.5 km before taking the win atop the steep climb leading to the breathtaking Sultanahmet Square, between the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
( Photo credit: Tour of Turkey/Brian Hodes)
Stage result:
1. Przemysław Niemiec (Lampre – Merida), 129.2 km in 3h10'18” (ave.
2. José Gonçalves (Caja Rural – Seguros RGA) at 11”.
3. Marco Zanotti (Parkhotel Valkenburg) at 16".
The Jerseys
SporToto Turquoise Jersey (Race leader): Przemysław 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): Przemysław Niemiec (Lampre - Merida)
How it happened
The stage started at Beşiktaş, on the European side of the Bosphorus, at 11.40 am EET. The peloton crossed the Bosphorus Bridge to the Asian shore. An early crash involving many riders particularly affect one of the stage favourites, Carlos Barbero (28, Caja Rural – Seguros RGA). After the incident, the race was temporarily neutralised.
At km 16.7 (-112.5km), the neutralisation ended and attacks started immediately. The race route hugged the waterside northwards towards the only categorised climb of the day at km 29.5 (Cat 2). As Davide Rebellin (CCC Sprandi Polkowice), one of the pre-race favourites, also affected by the crash, rode at the back of the peloton, rider 154, Alessandro Malaguti (Unieuro Wilier) attacked out of the peloton, soon to be joined by Ahmet Akdilek (145, Torku Şekerspor). A group of about 13 crystallised around those two, and, on the approach to the climb, four riders jumped away: Przemysław Niemiec (6, Lampre - Merida), José Gonçalves (22, CJR), Rémy Di Gregorio (45, Delko Marseille Provence KTM), Nikita Stalnov (115, Astana City, which uses the Astana International Airport code TSE as its abbreviation).
On the surprisingly hard climb, Adam Hansen (15, Lotto Soudal) and Lluís Mas (26, CJR) gave chase.
King of the Mountains Prime (km 29.5, Cat 2)
1. (5 pts) Di Gregorio (45, DMP)
2. (3 pts) Stalnov (115, TSE)
3. (2 pts) Niemiec (6, LAM)
4. (1 pt) Mas (26, CJR)
Remy Di Gregorio (45, DMP) thus ensured a podium place for himself at the end of the stage, in the red king of the mountains jersey, sponsored by Turkish Airlines.
It was truly not Caja Rural's day. 100m before the mtns line, Gonçalves suffered a rear wheel mechanical problem, and frowned in frustration as Mas passed him to take 4th place.
(Click through for Hi Res. Photo credit: Tour of Turkey/Brian Hodes)
On the descent, at km 37.9 (-91.3km), Hansen and Mas joined Niemiec, Di Gregorio and Stalnov at the head of the race. This left the teams with perhaps the race's strongest sprinters, Greipel and Modolo, and perhaps the strongest sprint trains, each with a rider in the lead group. All the aces appeared to be with Lotto Soudal and Lampre - Merida. The only question was: how would they use them? With sprinters Mareczko and Belletti in their ranks, and with the breakaway at a maximum of 2'16” ahead of the bunch, Southeast – Venezuela were left with no option but to lead the chase.
Behind those five, a 4-man chasing group formed, involving Bulgarian champion Nikolay Mihaylov (33, CCC), Prado Magno (53, FSC), Nazim Bakırcı (141, TRK) and Giovanni Carboni (157, UNI).
At km -87, Prado Magno (53, FSC) crashed on a left-hand corner at the foot of the descent, to resume racing in the main bunch. That left three in the chasing group, who were engulfed by the main group as the route returned southwards, three kilometres before the Intermediate sprint.
Intermediate sprint (km 53.8 [-75.4 km])
1. (5 pts) Hansen (15, TLS)
2. (3 pts) Stalnov (115, TSE)
3. (1 pt) Di Gregorio (45, DMP)
The brilliant Australian had won the one sprint that would assuredly not secure a place on the post-stage podium, perhaps neutralising the points for his team-mate Greipel.
After crossing the deep blue Bosphorus again, the racers headed south towards, and over, the Galata Bridge, the scene of the first Beauties of Turkey sprint of the week.
Beauties of Turkey sprint (km 67.5 [-61.7 km])
1. (5 pts) Mas (26, CJR)
2. (3 pts) Di Gregorio (45, DMP)
3. (1 pt) Niemiec (6, LAM)
The winner of last year's Istanbul stage, Lluís Mas, made sure that he would again stand on the post-stage podium in the Vestel White Jersey. The peloton rolled through 2'11” later.
At km 69 (km -60.2), just after the feed zone, the riders negotiated the underpass which marked the start of the 15.7km circuit, to be completed three times.
With 57 km to go, the Polish team CCC Sprandi Polkowice sent riders to help in the chase. Further back, Riccardo Stacchiotti (66, Nippo - Vini Fantini) and Adrian Banaszek (93, Verva Activejet) were involved in a banal crash. Both recovered and rejoined the group. Seconds later, the São Paulo-based Argentine sprinter Francisco Chamorro, Funvic Soul Cycling's main hope for the day, went down. He too rose unscathed to give chase.
With the leading five 1'13” ahead of the bunch, Niemiec and Di Gregorio squabbled, the Pole apparently haranguing the Frenchman for his refusal to pull.
At -39.5, as the leading group led the peloton by 45 seconds and the chase seemed to have lost all urgency, Niemiec darted away from the five and launched a solo attack.
At -35, the peloton, led by STH riders, engulfed Hansen, Mas, Di Gregorio and Stalnov, leaving Niemiec alone in the head of the race, with a lead of 1'31”.
With Niemiec out front, Lampre – Merida could afford to sit and wait. With Hansen back in the group, Lotto Soudal could start thinking of their sprint preparations for Greipel. In theory, anyway. In practice, the peloton seemed to have lost interest in life. Southeast – Venezuela set a lacklustre pace at the front of the group, while Niemiec, alone, grew his lead to 2'30” with 30.8 km to go. As the Southeast riders finally began to call Lotto Soudal forward to do their part, Niemiec's lead hit 3 minutes at -24km. 6Th in the 2013 Giro d'Italia, and a Vuelta stage winner the following year (and at Lagos de Covadonga, too), the Pole with the most feared name in the commentary booths of the world stretched his lead to 3'15” with 19.6 km to go.
Caja Rural – Seguros RGA's calvary continued inside the final 23 km when something black – a feed bag, a capo, an umbrella? - got caught in José Gonçalves' rear mech. Then, with Lotto Soudal still refusing to come through – was it tactical, or was Greipel not feeling good? – Southeast upped the pace.
Niemiec defended his lead: with 15km to go, he retained 2'41”. With 10km to go, he led by 2'13”. With 5km to go, he still led by 1'35”. 4km: 1'30”. 3km: 1'17”. 2km: 58”. 1.6 km, at the right-hand turn into the final climb, Niemiec led by 49”.
A stage win and a large down-payment on the overall win for the climber Niemiec looked increasingly likely. CCC Sprandi Polowice, with one of the favourites in their leader Davide Rebellin, moved to the front with 10km to go to try to limit Niemiec's advantage.
With 7.5km to go, and the leader's advantage still in the region of two minutes, Lotto Soudal sent a man to the front. Too little, too late. Inside the final 7km, Pablo Urtasun (Funvic Soul Cycles) attacked out of the bunch, although the attack lasted mot much more than a minute.
. Photo credit: Tour of Turkey/Brian Hodes)
Niemiec was 3km from the finish line when Lotto Soudal moved to the front of the peloton – the figure of Greipel. There was the answer: he was not feeling great and would presumably be working for Kris Boeckmans.
As the peloton turned into the final climb, a Caja Rural rider – and who else could it have been, after the day he had had, but José Gonçalves – attacked on the climb and closed on the Pole. It was more than good enough for second place in the stage. Behind him, Marco Zanotti (Parkhotel Valkenburg) won the bunch sprint for third place.
RIDER COMMENTS:
Race leader Przemysław Niemiec:“I managed to surprise everyone in a stage that seemed destined for the sprinters. I don't know how. It's my first time in Turkey, and my first win since 2014. I'm very happy to win here, especially for the team. Turkey is important for the team's sponsor, Lampre. Last year we won with Durasek. This first day has gone very well indeed. Now we'll see day after day, and take each stage as it comes.
“In the final 8 km, after the climb, which was pretty hard, I saw the group across the road and I still hada lead of 1'40". That as when I started to believe. I knew that there was a climb in the final 1.5km. I gave it everything. All the energy I still had, I gave it all. The final 2km were very dangerous. As well as the pave, there were 90 degree turns and you had to be very careful. But let's say, they probably suited me better than than they did the bunch. Thanks to my lead I managed to win it.
“After the second lap of the final circuit, the group was approaching, and came to within 40 secs, my breakaway companions said, Enough. I decided to go, I went all alone. I believed. Perhaps the group relaxed when they saw I was alone. I built up a lead of three minutes, and I managed to hold it all alone.
“Tomorrow's circuit looks very hard. It starts uphill, and it has an uphill finish. We'll see what we can do. We know we will all be a bit tired after today. But no stress.”
Stage winner Przemysław Niemiec, flanked by José Gonçalves, 2nd, and Marco Zanotti, 3rd.
(Click through for Hi Res. Photo credit: Tour of Turkey/Brian Hodes)
Beauties of Turkey leader Lluís Mas: “Being in the breakaway, when we saw the gap going down to only 47 seconds, we realized it would be difficult to make it to the finish so we stopped pulling but Niemiec went flat out and continued by himself. I don’t know if the people in the peloton didn’t know that he was away or if they didn’t know who Niemiec is but he’s a top rider! With three minutes lead, of course he could win the race. As I was in the breakaway, I thought of this beauties of Turkey classification that I won last year so I went for it again. I’ll try to win it again but it’s difficult because there’s only one sprint per day and it’s impossible to break away every day. However, I’ll do my best for this trophy.”
King of the Mountains Rémy Di Gregorio: “It was an attack of strong men when we rode away from the bunch at the beginning of the race. I heard that eight riders were coming across and I thought that could make it a decisive move but only two of them arrived (Hansen and Mas). Then I heard that CCC and a sprinters’ team (Southeast-Venezuela) were pulling so we had no chance. It would have been nice to reach the finishing line with an advantage before the hilly stages. But that’s how it is. I’ve won the King of the Mountains price at the Tour La Provence, back at home, in February, and at the Criterium International in March. I’d like to do it here as well but it’s too early to make it a goal. This is new to me. I don’t know the climbs in Turkey.”
Third placed Marco Zanotti: “This makes me happy, even though it’s a bittersweet feeling because had it been a bunch sprint for the win, I might have won. I love those finales with 90° curves like this. Anyway, to make the podium in such an important race is great. We’re a small team [continental team Parkhotel Valkenburg] and this is the biggest race we get access to. It’s a great incentive for racing well.”
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