After finishing fourth in the overall standings of the Tour of Catalonia a couple of weeks ago, Nairo Quintana returned to action this Sunday in the first stage of the Tour of Turkey, which was played over 202 kilometers between Bodrum and Kuşadası.
Australian Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) took the victory after an impressive sprint definition, beating Belgium's Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) and compatriot Kaden Groves (Team BikeExchange-Jayco).
For his part, Nairo, who starts as one of the strong candidates for the title in the general standings, suffered no setbacks during the day, so he was able to finish in 14th place with the same time as the main squad. However, it should be noted that the first three runners to cross the finish line received a bonus of ten, six and four seconds, respectively.
Other Colombian cyclists, such as Jhojan García (Caja Rural) and Dayer Quintana (Arkéa Samsic), lost five seconds to the main group. However, they play a role of gregarious in their respective squads.
The day's getaway consisted of six riders: Halil Dogan (Bike Aid), Burak Aba (Spor Toto Cycling Team), Abraham Stockman (Saris Rouvy Sauerland), Julen Irizar (Basque Country), Jonathan Clarke (Wildlife Generation Pro Cycling) and Vitaly Buts (Sakarya BB Pro Team). However, these were hit by the platoon with 34 kilometers to go.
American Sean Bennett (China Glory) tried a final attack with 14 km left, but was hunted in the final stage of the day.
The second stage will take place this Monday with a 156.4 km route between the towns of Selçuk and Alaçatı. The main challenge of the day will be a third-class port in the fourth quarter of the route: 'Climb Prime' with 3.8 km at 5.2% average incline.
In the preview of the competition, Nairo said that his layout fits the preparation he needs for the Tour de France: “I'm going to discover the Tour of Turkey, but also this country. On the other hand, I have seen the race many times on television, especially the mountain stages. The climbs are nice, long and fit my profile perfectly.”
“I hope to be in good condition and have recovered well. Unfortunately, after the Volta a Catalunya, I got sick. I had a fever for a few days, but I'm fine now. I hope to have a good level in this Turkey Tour 2022, so that I can compete in the overall standings,” he said in statements to the team's official media.
Finally, the boyacense cyclist explained that the intention is that the team can also fight in the packaging: “The Arkéa-Samsic collective involved in this competition will also allow Nacer Bouhanni to play its card during the sprinter stages. Everyone will be at your service at that time. Our goal is to achieve success for the team with Nacer, but in the mountain stages I hope to shine.”
1. Caleb Ewan (Australia/Lotto Soudal) - 4:38:15″
2. Jasper Philipsen (Bélgica/Alpecin-Fenix) - m.t.
3. Kaden Groves (Australia/Team BikeExchange – Jayco) - m.t.
4. Danny van Poppel (Netherlands/Bora — Hansgrohe) - m.t.
5. Rick Zabel (Germany/Israel - Premier Tech) - m.t.
14. Nairo Quintana (Colombia/Arkéa Samsic) - m.t.
45. Jhojan Garcia (Colombia/Caja Rural — Insurance) - 0:05 ″
54. Dayer Quintana (Colombia/Arkea Samsic) - 0:05 ″
1. Caleb Ewan (Australia/Lotto Soudal) - 4:38:05″
2. Jasper Philipsen (Belgium/Alpecin-Phoenix) — 0:04″
3. Kaden Groves (Australia/Team BikeExchange – Jayco) - 0:06″
4. Danny van Poppel (Netherlands/Bora — Hansgrohe) - 0:10 ″
5. Rick Zabel (Germany/Israel — Premier Tech) — 0:10 ″
14. Nairo Quintana (Colombia/Arkéa Samsic) - 0:10 ″
45. Jhojan Garcia (Colombia/Caja Rural — Insurance) - 0:15 ″
54. Dayer Quintana (Colombia/Arkea Samsic) - 0:10 ″
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