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Tour of Turkey Photos Apr 22 - Apr 29

« Tour of Turkey 2012 Live Dashboard


Stage 1:  Alanya → Alanya, 135 km  Full Results and Report

Colombia-Coldeportes fresh off their mountain stage win on the final day of Giro del Trentino on Friday

Turkish Tourism commercial

Circuits admist this beautiful coastal scenery around Alanya

Will Routley (Spidertech) leads the early break

Farnese Vini leading the chase

Both of the Turkish teams had their time at the front of the chase


OPQS setting up Francisco Chicchi who finished 6th in the sprint finish

Andre Griepel with the Local Turkish team in sight

The peloton has the last two break riders in sight

Sprint finish as expected in Alanya

Depleted sprint finish after a late crash took out half the field. Theo Bos (Rabobank) about to pip Matt Goss (GreenEdge). Daniele Colli (Team Type 1), right, was third.

Goss Bos'ed

Stage 1 Bos post-win

Stage 1 podium with bananas for prizes: Theo Bos (Rabobank), center, Matt Goss (GreenEdge), left, and Daniele Colli (Team Type 1), right

Stage 2:  Alanya → Antalya, 153 km  Full Results and Report


The beautiful backdrop to the rollout from Alanya, yesterday's host for the Stage 1 finish

Leaving Alanya. First of three tunnels during today's 153 km stage to Antalya.

The first break of the day at km 10 didn’t hold

Stage 2 panoramics



Net App with big load practice for the Giro

Argos Shimano led the chase for most of the day

The main break until late in the race here led by Laurent Pichon (Bretagne-Schuller)

Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) leading the break followed by Laszlo Bodrogi (Team Type 1-Sanofi), Matteo Fedi (Utensilnord), obscured Laurent Pichon (Bretagne-Schuller) and Paolo Locatelli (Colnago-CSF)

Andre Greipel being protected by his Lotto Belisol teammates late in the stage after being caught up the crash yesterday. We'll see him again later.

Old Turkey vs. new

Andre Greipel (Lotto Belisol) wins the sprint finish in Antalya

while Matt Goss (GreenEdge) was runner-up for the second day in a row

Consistency over the first two days has put Matt Goss (GreenEdge) in the leader's jersey

Stage 3:  Antalya → Elmali, 152 km  Full Results and Report


From the coast to the high mountains today; leaving Antalya for a 153 km mountain stage ending at a summit near "Apple-town"

Gorgeous!

First climb of the day after heading inland from Antalya

Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) was active again today. He finished 20th +3:51... not bad all things considered as he prepares for the Tour de France

Robbie Mcewen (GreenEdge) descending one of the early climbs at 72 kph

More great scenery

Saxo on the attack

As expected, yesterday's stage winner Andre Greipel finished well down today (80th +15:59). But, he finished ahead of...

Robbie McEwen stretching his legs. He announced today that he'll end his career at the Amgen Tour of California in May. He finished in 97th + 16:55.

The main break was caught before the finishing climb

Passing through Appletown (Elmali) before the final 13 km climb

Colnago

The break about to be caught by the peloton in the distance

10 km to go and Omega Pharma QuickStep is at the front

"The minute Gabrovski flew!" Ivaïlo Gabrovski (Konya Torku Seker Spor) launching his winning attack with 7 km still to go

Last year's overall winner, Alexander Efimkin (Team Type 1 - Sanofi) leading the chase at 3k to go. He finished 6th 2:13.

Ivaïlo Gabrovski didn't look very smooth but he got the job done (ie. he's good at suffering)

With over a minute lead late in the grueling climb, this was the only chase that was a threat to victory

It was very steep right to the end

Ivaïlo Gabrovski riding for the Turkish Continental team Konya Torku Seker Spor wins the stage 3 epic mountaintop finish by a commanding 1:29 minutes after attacking 7 km from the top. The 34 year-old Bulgarian was the 2007 overall Tour of Turkey winner.

It's somewhat inexplicable how a continental rider of a Turkish team could win by over 1 ½ minutes against bigger teams and names. The explanation may lie in the quality of riders sent by the bigger teams

Stage 4:  Fethiye → Marmaris, 132 km  Full Results and Report


Apparently, a pre-race shoe shine helped your performance today

Matt Goss liked the idea too. We'll see Mark Renshaw and Matt Goss again later on.

The rollout from Fethiye

Rollout

And there goes the peloton on its way to Marmaris. Good crowds.

Argos-Shimano getting a break started

Early break

The current Ukraine National RR champ, Oleksandr Kvachuk (Lampre-ISD), on the first hill/climb of the day



Marcel Kittel

The break passing by school children

The Turkish team Konya Torku Seker Spor did their job today preserving the race lead for their man in blue, Ivaïlo Gabrovski

The chase

Andre Greipel, the stage 2 winner, putting in a late dig before the stage finish in Marmaris

Mark Renshaw (Rabobank) wins the sprint finish ahead of Matt Goss (GreenEdge), the third runner-up finish by Goss at this year's race. 3rd was Daniele Colli (Team Type 1 - Sanofi)

The photo finish from overhead shows how close it was

Matt Goss contemplating his string of second place finishes this week on his way back to the team bus parked on a pier

Mark Renshaw and Matt Goss post-race

Your stage 4 Tour of Turkey podium: 2nd Matt Goss (GreenEdge), 1st Mark Renshaw (Rabobank) and 3rd Daniele Colli (Team Type 1 - Sanofi)

Podium panoramic

Stage 5:  Marmaris → Turgutreis, 178 km (hilly)  Full Results and Report


The rollout from Marmaris

Another beautiful coastal ride in enstore

First break of the day on the opening climb just outside of the start host, Marmaris

Descending the first downill

Europcar driving the break

Europcar

About to enter the coast route.... a really small road

The local turkish teams including the team of the race leader at the front of the peloton/chase

The beautiful coastal portion of today's route

Picturesque cycling

Climbing the coastal road

30k to go

Matt Goss (GreenEdge) is leading the points competition with his three second place finishes this week


10k to go

Last attempt to bring back the break

5k to go. Andrea Di Corrado (Colnago-CSF Inox) has attacked his breakmates

Andrea Di Corrado (Colnago-CSF Inox) solos to victory by 40s in Turgutreis. Note the peloton in the distance coming up the road

Your stage 5 podium: 2nd Jonas Jorgensen (DenTeam Saxo Bank) + 40s, 1st Andrea Di Corrado (Ita/Colnago - CSF Inox) 4:50:25, 3rd Jérôme Cousin (Fra/Europcar) +40s

Stage 6:  Bodrum → Kusadasi, 179 km  Full Results and Report


Rollout from Bodrum before a lumpy 179 km stage

Argos-Shimano stretching the race out

Early attempt at a break did not work, but not due to lack of effort

Feed zone

Nearing the top of a KOM in the first half of the stage, the only one of the day

38 year-old Alessandro Petacchi hasn't done enough this race or year to earn a trip to the Giro d'Italia; Lampre-ISD announced their Giro d'Italia squad today and Petacchi's name wasn't on it

The race passing through an olive orchard

Dusty roads. Looks like the strade bianche (white roads) of Tuscany


The United Nations greets the peloton

Andre Griepel leading the first chase group

Yesterday's stage winner at the front of the chase

Late unsuccessful attack by Colombia-Coldeportes

Better roads and higher speeds towards the end of the stage

Break about to be caught with less than 10 k to go

Late counterattack by Argos-Shimano marked by QPQS

For the FOURTH time in six stages at this year's Tour of Turkey, Matt Goss (GreenEdge) is runner up. Today, Sacha Modolo (Colnago - CSF Inox) became the sixth new winner in six days. Mark Renshaw (Rabobank) was 3rd.

It seems Sacha Modolo is a recent father

Your stage 6 podium. Second win in a row for Colnago... added to the Giro d'Trentino wins last week and they are looking good for the upcoming Giro d'Italia.

Stage 7:  Kusadasi → Izmir, 124 km  Full Results and Report


Colnago figuring out how to make it three wins in a row prior to the start of stage 7

Meanwhile, Argos-Shimano was taking a different approach to their stage 7 preparations and it almost worked

A close-up reveals those weren't real kisses planted on the cheeks of Marcel Kittel

The 3 of the 4 jersey leaders prior to stage 7: Ivaïlo Gabrovski (Bul) Konya Torku Seker Spor, leading the general classification; Maxim Belkov (Rus) Katusha Team leading the "Turkish Beauties Sprint classification"; Marco Bandiera (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep leading the mountains classification

Following the direction of race director Abdurrachman Acikalin during rollout from Kusadasi on another gorgeous day in Turkey

Today's route wasn't difficult (too hilly) but there was a stiff climb during the neutral "rollout"

Astana trying to get a break going to put pressure on the race leader

Iljo Keisse (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep getting the successful break started

The peloton doing some climbing

The Konya Torku Seker Spor teammates of race leader, Ivaïlo Gabrovski, hard at work doing the chasing

The main break was seven riders strong

Another beautiful coastal road with Konya Torku Seker Spor at the front of the chase

The break passing by another Mosque this time next to the turquoise Mediterranean Sea

Will Routley (Spidertech) focused on maintaining or improving his 10th overall gc position

Race leader Ivaïlo Gabrovski (Bul) Konya Torku Seker Spor

Perfect hand off in the feed zone by Rabobank

Iljo Keisse (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) attacked the break with 6 km to go

After sliding out and dropping his chain in the final corner with 1 km to go, Iljo Keisse (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) remounted then barely hung on for a dramatic win. Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) took the field sprint for 2nd and Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre - ISD) was 3rd. photo (c) Tour of Turkey.

The stage winner, Iljo Keisse (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) along with teammate and KOM leader Marco Bandiera and points competition leader Matt Goss (GreenEdge) post-race waiting for the podium ceremony

Your stage 7 podium

Podium panoramic

Stage 8:    Full Results and Report


Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) signing in for the eight and final time this week

Pre-stage 8 activity

The rollout in Istanbul for nine circuits

The rollout in Istanbul. Has there been a cloud in the sky all week?

Early crash

The race leader and Vino crossing the Bosforus bridge

Unsuccessful break

Bosforus bridge

Volunteers from the crowd jumped at the opportunity to serve as last minute road marshals

The soon-to-be 2012 Tour of Turkey champion

Argos-Shimano

The biggest crowds of the week as the peloton crosses through the finish line for one final lap

Sprint finish as expected

Theo Bos (Rabobank) bookends the Tour of Turkey

Theo Bos (Rabobank) wins the final stage of Tour of Turkey in Instanbul ahead of Andrew Fenn (right, Omega Pharma-Quickstep) and Stefan Van Dijk (left, Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's). More to come...

Your stage 8 podium: 2nd Andrew Fenn (Omega Pharma-Quickstep), 1st Theo Bos (Rabobank) and 3rd Stefan Van Dijk (Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda)

Thanks to his summit win on Stage 3, Ivaïlo Gabrovski (Konya Torku Seker Spor) is the 2012 Tour of Turkey winner. He also won the race five years ago when it was a smaller race.

The jersey winners

Astana with Vino at the front won the teams classification