Sam Bennett (BORA – hansgrohe) continued his remarkable week at the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey today when he won his fourth stage which was also his 10th victory in a UCI race this season.
The penultimate stage had highs and lows for BORA – hansgrohe. Shane Archbold was in the breakaway of the day, which was caught 30 kilometres before the finish. Leopold König and Michael Schwarzmann however were involved in a crash, but managed to get back on the bike without any injuries. With Gregor Mühlberger unable to start the stage due to illness, it meant there was only one leadout man remaining, but this didn’t stop Bennett showing his sprinting skills and taking his fourth stage win of the race.
The penultimate stage at the 53rd Presidential Tour of Turkey covered 166km on a demanding course from Selcuk to Izmir. Two KOM´s (second and third category climbs), one intermediate sprint and one beauty sprint awaited the riders.
Today´s breakaway included Jimmy Duquesnoy and Lukas Spengler (WB Veranclassic – AquaProtect), Onur Balkan and Muhammed Atalay (Turkey Team), Alex Turrin (Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia), and Matteo Spreafico (Androni Giocattoli – Sidermec) alongside Archbold and these leaders gained a two-minute gap. Trek – Segafredo and Team UAE Emirates took control of the bunch to ensure they never gained too much of a lead
The reduced main bunch caught the escapees 30 kilometres before the finish and suddenly the race came alive. Two groups were formed, with Bennett still in the leading group following a gruelling climb.
As the race headed into the finale, Bennett and Saramotins formed their sprint train. The Irishman waited until the final metres to jump clear and made it look easy as he took a convincing win over Edward Theuns of Trek Segafredo.
Enrico Poitschke, was delighted about Sam´s fourth victory: “What should I say, the day wasn’t easy for us, Gregor was sick, Leo and Michael crashed. But Sam showed once again what an amazing sprinter he is. Alex led him to the finish line and he just flew to his next victory. I´m more than happy for him but also really satisfied with this teamwork, they showed the whole week a great performance.”
Alfie Lilley
Shane Mc Kenna