Jakub Mareczko (Southeast) proved that he is fully ready to challenge the biggest names at the Giro d’Italia when he proved to be in a class of his own in the reduced bunch sprint on the final stage of the Tour of Turkey. Having survived the late climb, he came from far back to easily pass Sacha Modolo (Lampre-Merida) in the final dash to the line, with Francisco Chamorro (Funvic) crossing the line in third. Jose Goncalves (Caja Rural) finished safely and secured overall victory while his teammate David Arroyo (Caja Rural) and Nikita Stalnov (Astana City) rounded out the podium.

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Triumphant Jose Goncalves targets Vuelta stage win and WorldTour contract

Today, Caja Rural - Seguros RGA concluded a very successful Tour of Turkey with José Gonçalves as the overall winner of the prominent stage race. The team put its mark on the race since day one, when Gonçalves finished second on the stage. The next day, Pello Bilbao won the uphill finish in Kapadokya.

 

Bilbao later enjoyed four days in the blue leader’s jersey until he got sick and Gonçalves took over the lead. It happened on the queen stage of the race, which was won by Jaime Rosón giving Caja Rural - Seguros RGA the team's second stage win in the race.

 

On Sunday’s final stage of Tour of Turkey, the team protected Gonçalves’ lead perfectly, making sure the 27-year-old Portuguese had no problems winning the race overall. David Arroyo accompanied his teammate on the final podium in second place, while Lluis Mas finished fourth overall. Mas also won the Turkish Beauties sprint competition, while Caja Rural - Seguros RGA topped the team classification.

 

José Gonçalves said:

 

"I'm very happy. Tonight we'll celebrate together as a team, with champagne in the hotel, and then sleep. Tomorrow, I fly home to Barcelos, above Porto in the north of Portugal. My next race is the Beiras e Serra da Estrela on 13 May.

 

“It is a little frustrating not to be able to take this good form to the Giro. The team tried to get a place there but it was not possible, so we have the Vuelta as the main objective of the team, and we will go there trying to win a stage, like last year.

 

"I didn't come here with the objective of winning, but I knew I'd be OK. Day by day the situation evolved. My success came as a surprise to me because of the hard, windy 2nd and 3rd stages. Without those two stages, I don't know how it would have been, because in the mountains we have good riders. Perhaps I'd have been with them, but I don't know. The thing is, I'm not a real climber. If you put me on a hard, 20 km mountain, I'll get dropped. The final mountain stage here wasn't so hard.

 

“I consider myself a complete rider who can do a bit of everything. I'm not a sprinter either, but I do OK. I think I have potential, but I have a different role from a rider like Rui Costa. We are very different. Rui has more potential than me. He's a great rider, even if my idol is Alberto Contador, who is combative and always attacking.

 

“From now on I'll try and get the responsibility as team leader. I tried at Tirreno -Adriatico, but things didn't turn out as I wanted. I wasn't at 100%. But in the coming races, I'll try to be good, and at the Vuelta a Espana, I expect to have joint leadership with Pello Bilbao. This very is very important to me.

 

“I have the ambition of riding in the WorldTour. I'd like to ride for a WorldTour team. This win gives me the confidence to continue working, and we'll see what happens. If it all goes according to plan, perhaps I'll be able to make that final jump next season."

 

Sports director, Eugenio Goikoetxea:

“This has been an extraordinary race for us. The team has worked incredibly well all week. I think this is a well-deserved reward. Now, we will enjoy and celebrate this win but we still have to keep working hard to fight for more victories”.

 

Two sprint jersey in a row for Lluis Mas in Turkey

Lluís Mas (Caja Rural – Seguros RGA) said:

 

“It’s been all nice today, the weather, the results, the atmosphere… We were happy with the breakaway that took shape. In our quest for GC, it was fine for us if they made it to the finish. But with 40km to go, Lampre-Merida stopped pulling. They said we could let the breakaway five minutes ahead and catch them later, so other teams went to the front. My only concern was to stay with José [Gonçalves].

 

”The race situation was perfect at the Beauties of Turkey point because the riders in the lead were no threat for my jersey so I win it for the second straight year. We came to Turkey with the aim of winning GC, either with Pello Bilbao or José but we would have never thought we could win the two hardest stages, come first, second and fourth overall, win another classification like the Beauties of Turkey. For the second time, we get a big success in Turkey. We’re happy as a team.”

 

Jakub Mareczko: What I did today on such a hard stage is very important for the future

There couldn't be a better end for the Wilier – Southeast's Tour of Turkey as Jakub Mareczko won the 8th stage with an incredible move in the sprint.

 

He capitalized from the perfect work of a solid and united team with a brilliant help from Manuel Belletti in the last km. The Romagnolo rider who ended in 7th place, won the points classification of the race.

 

The balance of this Tour of Turkey for Wilier – Southeast is extremely positive with two stage wins, two podiums, many breakaways and the green jersey of Manuel Belletti.

 

”It is a great satisfaction to win a second stage in the Tour of Turkey, especially as it wasn't a flat stage. The big challenge for me today, setting out this morning, was to resist in the climb. My team mates helped me not to get dropped, and I managed to be there at the finish for the sprint.

 

”The first climbs were crucial. The breakaway went, which was good for us, and then on the longest climb, at the beginning, we decided to ride at the front as a team so I could stay in the first positions and not get dropped. That's what we did in all the climbs, including the last one, close to the finish.

 

”What I did today gives me good hope for my future, because I'm a good sprinter but I have to improve my climbing so that I can be there for the sprint.

 

“In the closing section I followed my team mates Zhupa, Bertazzo and Belletti, who led me out into the final 300m. Then I took Modolo's wheel and I managed to get past him. That's how I won it.

 

”My conclusion of the TUR is positive. This has been excellent preparation for the Dutch stages of the Giro d'Italia, and we'll see if I can get a good placing in one of the first few stages.”

 

Lampre-Merida end successful Tour of Turkey with near-miss for Modolo

Sacha Modolo was very close to obtaining his third victory in the Tour of Turkey 2016. The sprinter from Lampre-Merida was 2nd in the 8th and final stage.

 

Niemiec won the climbers classification, Koshevoy was 2nd. Niemiec was 19th overall.

 

"In this Tour of Turkey we obtained three victories and many good performances,” sports director Vicino said. “We regret the fact of having been excluded so early from the battle for the overall classification, however we demonstrated our competitiveness by racing with fighting spirit.

 

“We're also satisfied  with the performances of the four riders who'll race the Giro d'Italia: Modolo and Niemiec won, Petilli and Koshevoy showed their good form.”

 

Brazilian team ends the Tour of Turkey on the podium

Third placed Francisco Chamorro (Funvic-Soul) said:

 

“This is our first year racing on the European scene, so I believe third here is a good result for us as we got the opportunity to race against World Tour riders who are going to compete in the Giro d’Italia next week. We’re very happy with our participation to the Tour of Turkey, especially because we’ve been very unlucky right at the beginning of the race. We lost five riders in a crash and only four of us managed to complete the TUR. In these circumstances, to make the podium on the last day is a great satisfaction.

 

"I'm very happy with the result and I owe it to a lot of effort and work from the yeam. Today there were more than 200km and at the end I was very tired because there were many climbs along the way.  Piedra helped me a lot in the last climb and that was one of the key points so that I ccould sprint and make the podium, 

 

”Brazil is a bit far for coming to Europe for one race. It would be better to come for two stage races so we’d perform in the second one. Next year we’ll have a bigger European calendar and we’ll be more competitive.”

 

"It was a high level race and a hard route,” sports director Francesco Monza said. “Unfortunately we suffered some casualties that we did not expect, for Prado who was very strong and Alex Diniz who is a great climber and could do well in the mountains, in addition to Nathan and Betinho who were important parts for us in this race, "he said.

 

"It is by taking part in events like this that we will improve the level of our team and so we get the rhythm of the European calendar which certainly is one of the most coveted in the world. And today we have seen that we can reap good rewards. A third place against so many good riders gives us the certainty that we are on the right track.”

 

Impressive Tour of Turkey for Kris Boeckmans

It would be a sprint in Selçuk. Greg Henderson was the lead-out for Kris Boeckmans. The Lotto Soudal rider finished fourth. For Kris Boeckmans the Tour of Turkey was the first stage race since his crash in the Vuelta last year. He had only had two whole days of competition before the start. Yesterday he sprinted to place eight and Tuesday he stood on the podium next to teammate André Greipel as third.

 

Kris Boeckmans said:

 

“Finishing the Tour of Turkey was my goal, so I am more than happy with how this week has been. On the last climb of the day, a few kilometres before the finish, Adam Hansen raised the pace. We could have gotten away with a smaller group if the wind had come from a slightly different direction. Hendy was my lead-out today. I started sprinting too early, probably because I was a bit nervous. Still, it was a strong sprint, definitely when you think of the fact that this is the eighth day of my first stage race. The whole race was better than expected and the entire team was strong even though several riders returned to competition after an injury.”

 

The past week the wind played an important role. During the stage on Monday Caja Rural tore the peloton apart by creating echelons uphill. No Lotto Soudal riders were part of that first group, but the team took revenge the other day. Tuesday six of the eight riders in the front group were Lotto Soudal riders. André Greipel then finished off the team work with a beautiful victory. Yesterday Greg Henderson tried to win the stage by taking some lead in the descent of the last climb and the day before Adam Hansen had a chance to win but unfortunately he had chain problems. Otherwise he would have battled for the win on the climb in Elmali. Hansen is the first Lotto Soudal rider on GC, being fifth at 4’46” of José Gonçalves. Greg Henderson, Stig Broeckx and Gert Dockx are also in top ten: as sixth, seventh and eighth.

 

Mario Aerts, sports director Lotto Soudal, said:

 

“Kris Boeckmans was our man today. At first, we let Lampre and Southeast lead the chase, but when Lampre quit riding, the advantage of the escapees rose to five minutes. It was time for action. We let Frederik Frison pull and in no time the gap was two minutes smaller. He was so strong, just like he showed on other occasions this week as well.

 

”On the climb in the finale we took control of the pack with Stig Broeckx, Gert Dockx and Adam Hansen. Henderson stayed by Boeckmans his side and set up the lead-out with 400 metres to go. Kris started sprinting with 250 metres to go, too early it turned out.

 

”This fourth place is a very good result, though. Boeckie achieved three top ten places here, something nobody could have hoped for. He had hardly raced before the start, now he has covered 1300 kilometres in total. He did much more than expected, by animating the race and sprinting for a top result. We are all very happy with that.

 

“We started this race with three riders who just got back after an injury: Broeckx, Dock and Henderson. All three of them did very well and are all in the top ten of the GC, which is unexpected. Adam Hansen was our only man for GC, but because of the echelons on Tuesday and the fact that we had six riders in the first group it all went differently than expected. In that stage the team really impressed.

 

”I am very satisfied with the performances of the team this week. An extra victory would have been nice of course, but you can’t always get what you want.”