The final stage in Tour of Turkey saw young Jay McCarthy move up in the general classification to finish 3rd in Tour of Turkey. The final result marks the best GC-finish for the 22-year old Australian, who, according to Tinkoff-Saxo’s sports director, has shown very promising signs during the eight-stage race.

The final day in Tour of Turkey saw a surprise winner, as Caja Rural’s Lluìs Mas Bonet took the sprinters by surprise on the technical run-in towards the finish line. According to Tinkoff-Saxo DS Nicki Sørensen, sprinter Michael Kolar lacked the last power after bouncing back from days of stomach problems.

“It was a very technical finish, but Kolar didn’t have the legs today to follow the first group, when the peloton split on the narrow uphill roads before the finish line. It’s normal after days of illness, but Jay was there and secured the team a podium finish in the final GC, which he can be very proud of”, says Nicki Sørensen.

Stage 8 presented the riders in Tour of Turkey with the race conclusion spread across 121 fast kilometers. With just around 1km to go, the stretched out pack turned right into the narrow streets of Istanbul, where Mas Bonet put in his decisive attack. Although the sprinters made up ground on the final stretch, he proved beyond reach and took the win. Jay McCarthy crossed the line in the first group, moved up to 3rd overall and finished off a week of active racing for Tinkoff-Saxo on a positive note.

“The team can be very proud with the effort made. We are all very happy with Jay’s 3rd place overall, which shows that he has made progress. In general, we can be satisfied especially with the way we’ve raced. I think the team has played an active part of the race. However, we didn’t get the stage win that we had been aiming for but I’m certain that several riders will leave Turkey with a moral boost and in great shape. McCarthy, Kolar and Brutt are in very good shape, while Bennati has mounted a quick comeback after his injury”, finishes Nicki Sørensen.

"I didn't expect to be on the podium today. It's a bit of a shame that Rebellin crashed. It's part of bike racing I guess. Sometimes you can be on the lucky side of accidents but that's not the way I wanted to make the top 3. Anyway, I'm happy with my week of racing here in Turkey. The hard work has been fruitful," McCarthy said.