After race organisers announced a route curtailment, the Tour of Turkey concluded on Sunday in Istanbul with a fully neutralised final stage.
“Due to the slippery condition of the roads, it’s been decided that stage 8 will be neutralised,” the organisers announced early on the morning of the closing stage 8.
“The peloton will ride the planned route but only one lap instead of 5 and will proceed to Sultanahmet with the distinctive jersey holders at the front of the peloton.”
Consequently, the peloton faced a soggy ride on Istanbul’s damp roads, effortlessly navigating the race’s last fourth-category hill and crossing the finish line.
Following the neutralisation, three
The final 20 kilometres and three laps of the closing circuit were eliminated during the neutralisation, which meant the sprinters would not have one more opportunity to win on the difficult 5%, 600-meter closing ramp.
It also meant that podium finishers Merhawi Kudus (Terengganu) and Paul Double (Polti-Kometa) would not pose a threat to yellow jersey rider Frank van den Broek (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) as he finished his race.
The 23-year-old Van den Broek won the queen stage summit finish at Manisa on Friday, closing out the Tour of Turkey with his first stage race victory of the year. In the overall standings, he defeats Kudus by four seconds, and Double comes in third overall, nine seconds behind.
In other team news, Tobias Lund Andresen, Van den Broek’s DSM teammate, caps off an almost flawless week for the group by winning three stages in addition to Van den Broek’s victory and Fabio Jakobsen’s opening stage win.
After defeating Giovanni Lonardi (Polti-Kometa) with his third stage victory on Saturday, Andresen wins the points jersey. The winner of the mountain classification is Vinzent Dorn (Bike Aid), and the winning team is Q36.5.
It has been determined that stage 8 will be neutralised due to the slick roads. The riders will follow the schedule, but they will only complete one lap rather than five, and they will arrive at Sultanahmet first, with the riders wearing the recognisable jerseys leading the way. 28 April 2024 #TUR2024
