After two second places, Lampre Merida managed to establish itself with a great sprint of Modolo on the 5th stage of Tour of Turkey from Mugla to Pamukkale 160 km.

It was a classic story, with an warly escape that was born after many attacks which made the race difficult from the start. The group never gave them an advantage of more than 6 minutes.

Lampre-Merida stayed compact around captains Kristian Durasek and Sacho Modolo, riding just behind the train of the current leader of the race Rebellin. In the end, the escape was absorbed and on the last climb, the group saw an important selection in which no rider from Lampre Merida lost contact.

In the last km a group of riderstried to anticipate the sprint. Here Maximilan Richeze was super for Lampre Merida, taking off in a big attack and leaving Modolo protected in the peloton.

A crash 600, from the finish line split the group in the preparation of the sprint, but it was a good Modolo who powered clear to take the win.

"Today we were all really great," he said. "All day we rode in front because of the dangers from the wind which could create gaps. In the end I managed to pass the third category climb really well and to prepare myself for a sprint.

"I didn’t know much about the finish! I was a bit behind with 1 km to go. I might have touched a wheel, or someone might have touched me from behind, but I nearly came to a halt and I had to start almost from a standstill. Then again, other riders were coming backwards at me. This is my type of finish. I had good legs and I left at 200m. I didn’t want to miss the stages that really suit me. After yesterday’s stage got away from me, I wanted to win today.

“The victory is certainly due to a great work in the last km by Richeze who joined a few riders that wanted to anticipate the sprint and thus allowed me to stay covered without losing positions.

“In the last kilometer I was left behind, I almost crashed twice and Ihad to start almost from a standstill, but I continued to see people bounce back so I said I couldn't miss my chance. In these types of finish (the finishing straight had a slope of 4 %) I'm good. Yesterday I ended up on the ground at the foot of the last climb, today I couldn't throw away another opportunity.

"Last year, I had another programme. I knew that after the Tour of Turkey I would finish a block of racing. Last year I came here after a fall at Roubaix, and I wasn’t going well. I had two broken ribs, which is why I abandoned. Since I was going to take a break afterwards anyway, it made no sense not to.

"This year, I wanted to come to prepare for the Giro d’Italia, but also to win a stage so that I would go to the Giro d’Italia with a good mentality. I have been strong since January. but I haven’t won a race. Even so, I have prepared all, and this is the confirmation.

"My programme is the Giro d’Italia, then the Tour de Suisse, and then we’ll see. Cassini has convoked me of the European Championships. I’ve told him that, if I’m good, I’ll do it with pleasure, but if I’m not going well, there’s no point in taking a slot away from someone who is in form. But I’d like to go. Then I’ll take a break,  because I’ve been racing hard since January. After that, we’ll see."

A: Yes," he answered when asked whether he thought he can win the hilly stage 7. "And then, in Istanbul, we’ll see. I rode the finish in 2010, when it was the opening time trial [Ed: won by Greipel. Modolo finished 22nd]. It’s an unknown. But there was lots of climbing today, so why shouldn’t I be able to win the last stage? 

"I wanted this win. In January, I came up against Gaviria and Cavendish in Argentina. And since then,  I haven’t competed in a sprint. I fell on stage one of Tirreno, so I wasn’t involved there. I restarted sprinting at De Panne, and here I really wanted a win. 

"This one is special because I didn’t beat sprinters today, I beat riders who are good climbers. You had to have good legs to do that. On this stage, sprinters do not normally finish in the top ten, so this  shows that I’m here, finally. This has been good for me.

The good day for Lampre-Merida has a bittersweet taste as Kristijan Durasek was caught behind the crash with 600m to go and so lost 15 seconds to Rebellin. The Croatian rider is still in second place in the standings but 22" seconds behind the leader.