2014 Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey Stage 2

Mark Cavendish won stage 2 of the 2014 Tour of Turkey in a sprint finish today, marking the Omega Pharma-QuickStep rider’s second consecutive stage victory in this year’s event. 

Following a high-speed lead out by his teammate, Mark Renshaw, in the final kilometer, Cavendish found himself perfectly positioned  to unleash one of his signature bursts of speed in the closing meters. 

Meanwhile, Francesco Chicchi finished in second at about a bike length behind, while Niccolò Bonifazio rounded out the podium in third. 

Following today’s results, Cavendish continues as the race leader. However, with no time bonuses awarded in the stage, Bonifazio took second spot in the overall GC, with Elia Viviani in third –  both with the same time as Cavendish.

The British rider had these things to say after today’s stage.

"Today it was a harder sprint," Cavendish said in the press conference. "It was slightly uphill, it was a headwind and it was big roads and it’s easy to get swamped, but Omega Pharma-Quickstep did an incredible job in the final – absolutely textbook. I’m super happy today. I couldn’t have done it without them."

"It’s been a tough couple of days for the guys…and we’ll try and get through tomorrow as best as possible but there’s no way I can even try and defend the leader’s jersey," he conceded.

Tomorrow’s stage is expected to have a dramatic effect on the general classification, as the race heads into the mountains with a 185 kilometer stage from Finike to Elmali.

About the TUR

The Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey (TUR) started in 1963 with the name of "Marmara Tour", gained international status in 1965 for the first time and was taken under the auspices of Presidential authority in 1966. On its 50th anniversary the competition will be held on April 27-May 4, 2014 in 8 stages starting from Alanya, proceeding along the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts. Istanbul will be home to the spectacular finish.

The world’s sole "transcontinental cycling tour" will witness the high-level competition of world-renowned athletes and teams. The slogan this year is "50 Years of Cycling Passion". The Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey which has been reaching a wide access network throughout the world via live and recorded broadcasts by means of prestigious national and international channels in more than 150 countries since 2008, stands out as a global organization that serves as a model of Turkey’s sports organization experience. With its deep-rooted history, its contributions to the development of the sport of cycling and the promotion of tourism in Turkey through TV broadcasts, the organization continues to be a success story for our country. 

Stages

Leader Jerseys

Leader jerseys find their owners according to the scores gained at the premium gates through each stages. The athlete at the first rank in leader jerseys classification at the end of every stage begins the next stage with the leader jersey and aims to keep the jersey till the end of the TUR.

Turquoise Jersey

Turkish blue Turquoise which is derived from the pronunciation of the word Turk in French and which is the colour of the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts is also the colour of the Leader jersey as the institutional colour of the TUR.

White Jersey

White Jersey with the premium gates through which historical and natural richness of Turkey is carried to the screens as Beauties of Turkey are being highlighted are carried to the podium on the leader of the premium gates at the end of every stage.

Red Jersey

Red Jersey with the best climber premium gates with which the King of the Mountains is determined by the climbing performance of the riders.

Green Jersey

Green Jersey with the sprint gates which witness the struggle among the strongest sprinters.