Elia Viviani has reached one of his goals at Tour of Turkey today. In the fifth stage, from Marmaris to Turgutreis (183 km), the Italian sprinter of Cannondale Pro Cycling presented by ÇAĞDAŞ KİMYA took a crushing win thanks to a powerful sprint. Viviani won by more than two bikes' length in front of Mark Cavendish (OmegaPharma-QuickStep) and Kristian Sabaragli (MTN-Qhubeka).

 

"I dreamed about an arrival like this many times" said a glowing Viviani. "I had high ambitions at this Tour of Turkey and I was really motivated to challenge some of the best sprinters in the worlds. In the first stage I was close to the win and for me was the right signal.

 

"Today everything went perfect. In addition to that, I have beaten  a champion like Cavendish - I have high regard for him and for what he did. I tried many times to put my wheel first in a sprint. Also for this reason this is a dream win.

 

"My biggest thanks is to my teammates. They supported me since the first day and also today they didn't save any energy to help me. We had the strategy to force the pace on the final short climb to wear out Cav and the others sprinters. In the finale I never let go of his wheel - everyone knew he was the man to beat. Around 200 metres from the finish I decided to start my sprint and the result has been great.

 

"In the last kilometre, Cameron Wurf attacked the finale in front of the group, Cav had Petacchi and Renshaw and I was on Cav’s wheel. I think the Omega Pharma Quick Step train was shorter.

 

"Cav had to wait for 200 metres to start but the speed was not so high. I think he waited longer than planned and when he started I think that we knew already who would take the stage win.

 

"It was the perfect sprint for me to take. In the first stages, the Cav train left us nothing. The difference today was the legs. It was a very long stage, not a flat stage, and that is what made the difference.

 

 

"I have a good feeling with Cav because we didn’t have any problems in the past and many times I finished behind him. For the first time I take the win and he finishes second. It’s very important for me to take this win against Cavendish. It was my dream. For me, it’s a fantastic day today.

 

"This is my first experience of the Tour of Turkey since I won the seventh stage in 2010. I won my first race in the pro ranks here so it’s a very special race for me. I came back after a few years and this is an important test for me for the Giro.

 

"It was my first time in the pro ranks. But I was lucky because a lot of sprinters  went down in a crash in the last turn and I finally beat Visconti. In four years, I became much stronger in the sprints. I worked hard to get better results in the Giro and other important races. Every year I have a bigger focus. "

 

For Elia Viviani today's victory is the second in 2014 and the 26th since he became professional in 2010. This year, after his season debut in January down-under then focusing on track World Championships in February, the Italian rider proved himself with a win at Settimana Internazionale on March 29. Just after the Tour of Turkey, Viviani will attend his most important race of 2014, the Giro d'Italia.

 

"The Giro's sprints are in my mind since December. Last year's experience was good, but I did not grasp the fact that I didn't win. The win I took in March has been a good for my confidence, this one in Turkey is the key brick for my morale.

 

"I prove myself that I'm ready to compete with the best. There will be several chances during the twenty-one stages of the Corsa Rosa and I want to perform well every time.

 

"I’m glad that there are many stages for sprinters this year. Last year, I came close to taking the pink jersey in the first stage (second behind Cavendish). I hope I can make it this time. I’m targeting the first three stages in Ireland. 

 

"I have a lot of track experience but I don’t think that’s what allowed me to win today. I love the track, I love the Olympic Games but I was disappointed by my result at the worlds this year.

 

"After these world championships, I erased all memories from my head and I set a new focus on the Giro. I won a Coppi and Bartali stage and it was important mentally. Now I want to think only about the Giro and then I’ll turn my mind to Rio.

 

"I will think about Rio after this season and start the qualifications for Rio. The track is part of my life and I will continue to be a track rider.

 

"Italian cycling is not so bad. In Nibali, we have the first rider in the world to represent our country. We also have so many young riders to make big results.

 

"We are not at the top level but in the next few years, we can go in the classics and have so many riders who can perform like Diego Ulissi in the second part of the classics season or Sacha Modolo and myself in the sprints. It’s not a bad situation in Italy. We have a good group of up and coming riders."