With the classics season done and dusted it is time to focus on the grand tours and the Giro d'Italia which kicks off in Belfast in less than two weeks. While the climbers prepared in Trentino last week and head to Romandy to tackle the Swiss ascents, some of the world's best sprinters prefer to fine-tune their condition on the Turkish coast where we can expect some thrilling battles throughout the coming week. You can follow the Tour of Turkey live on CyclingQuotes.com.

For many years the Tour of Turkey was a smaller event for the continental teams but a money injection from the government has turned it into a prestigious race attracting some of the world's best cycling teams and no less than 8 ProTeams were gathered on the start line when the race kicked off yesterday. Held days before the start of Giro, the race is the perfect preparation for the Italian grand tour and while the weather is highly uncertain in the traditional races in Trentino and Romandy, riders are almost guaranteed plenty of sun and warmth on the Turkish coast.

At the same time the race appeals perfectly to the sprinters who have always been frustrated by their lack of opportunities in the mountainous races in Italy and Switzerland. Even though the route has been made harder in recent editions, there are still plenty of stages for the fast finishers, and it is no surprise that the race can present big names like Mark Cavendish, Andre Greipel, Andrea Guardini, Theo Bos, Elia Viviani, Sacha Modolo, Aidis Kruopis, Leigh Howard, Marco Haller, Nicola Ruffoni, Francesco Lasca, Danilo Napolitano and Francesco Chicchi . At the same time the race has to hard uphill finishes, and thus we can also expect a big fight for the overall win.

Starting at 10.30 CEST you can follow the final stage in its entirety here. You can read our preview here.