Italy’s Davide Rebellin (CCC Polsat) is a genuine favourite for the Presidential Tour of Turkey in spite of his age (42), the same as last year’s Vuelta champion Chris Horner. Thirteenth in the Amstel Gold Race, he is in splendid form.

More than 22 years separate the two leading favourites of the 50th Presidential Tour of Turkey. Eritrea’s Merhawi Kudus, 20, the second youngest rider in the field after 19-year-old Colombian Edward Diaz, must beware of the experience of Italy’s Davide Rebellin, the oldest rider at the start from Alanya on Sunday (ahead of compatriot Alessandro Petacchi, 40, and Ukraine’s Yuriy Metlushenko, 38). According to the figures of website procyclingstats.com, Rebellin is also the rider with most points on 254, ahead of Frenchman Yohann Bagot (2nd of the TUR last year), on 219, Kazakh Alexandr Dyachenko (winner in 2012), on 175, and Astralia’s Cameron Wurf (172).

On paper, the veteran rider from Polish team CCC Polsat is a clear favourite. Recent results seemed to confirm the theory since Rebellin reminded the cycling world of his abilities by finishing 7th in the Brabantse Pijl and 13th in the Amstel Gold Race, each time close to winner Philippe Gilbert whom he meets regularly in training around Monaco where they both live. 

“Thirteenth in the Amstel Gold is OK, especially without a lot of preparation and without taking part in any great classic since 2009,” said Rebellin, who won the Fleche Wallonne five years ago and scored the first Ardennes treble in 2004 by winning Amstel, Fleche and Liege-Bastogne-Liege in succession. The former Gerolsteiner team leader does no longer take part in World Tour races regularly.

“In Amstel, it was important to be well positioned at the bottom of the Cauberg, the final climb. But I was isolated and it was difficult to obtain a better result even though I know my teammates did their best. In the Brabantse Pijl, I was feeling well but the race was fast and I didn’t have the acceleration power you only acquire with competition. Yet it was very emotional to be back racing in Belgium. In the Netherlands, I thanked the organisers for the wild card they were so kind as to grant my team,” he said.

“I would also have loved to take part in Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege but the Tour of Turkey comes at the right time of the season given my current shape. I don’t know this race but I’m sure it can suit me. My passion for cycling is intact and I take a huge pleasure discovering events and countries where I didn’t have a chance to race when I was on the ProTour,” he added.

The Italian recently added to his record the Sibiu Cycling Tour in Romania, two stages of the Szlakiem Grodow Piastowskich in Poland, both in 2013, the Tour du Gevaudan in France and a stage of the Tour of Slovakia in 2012.

Last year’s victory in the Spanish Vuelta by Chris Horner, his former teammate with FDJ in 1997, gave Rebellin more reasons to continue his career over 40. The final climbs to Elmani (stage 3) and Selçuk (stage 6) should suit his abilities.