Mark Cavendish wins Tour of Turkey opener
Mark Cavendish (Etixx-QuickStep) claimed the opening stage of the 2015 Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey on Sunday.
Cavendish won the bunch sprint after a perfect lead-out from the Etixx squad at the end of the 145-kilometre stage looping around Alanya. Australian prodigy Caleb Ewan (Orica-GreenEdge) placed second, with Italian Nicola Ruffoni (Bardiani-CSF) in third.
Cavendish's win means that he wears the leader's jersey going into Monday's second stage Alanya to Antalya covering 182 kilometres. It's the Manxman's seventh victory of the season - only Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) and Richie Porte (Sky) have won more, with 11 and nine wins respectively.
"This is... my first race back after taking some time off," said Cavendish after the win. "I got sick in South Africa and had to stop and get over the virus. Just to stop and reset everything and to now get going again, it is quite nice.
"I don't think I'm in as good condition as I could have been without the interruption, but I am definitely happy where I am and also with the strong team of Etixx-QuickStep. We'll keep going and try to win more at this race."
The eight-stage, UCI 2.HC-ranked Tour of Turkey concludes on May 3. Last year's race was won by British rider Adam Yates (Orica-GreenEdge), but he is not present to defend his title this year. Cavendish won four stages and the points classification.
After the Tour of Turkey, Cavendish will take part in the Tour of California and Tour de Suisse before the Tour de France in July.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
>>> Mark Cavendish confirms race build-up to the Tour de France
Results
Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey 2015, stage one: Alanya to Alanya, 145km
1. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Etixx-QuickStep in 3-17-58
2. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge
3. Nicola Ruffoni (Ita) Bardiani-CSF
4. Sacha Modolo (Ita) Lampre-Merida
5. Theo Bos (Ned) MTN-Qhubeka
6. Michael Kolar (Slo) Tinkoff-Saxo
7. Daniele Ratto (Ita) UnitedHealthcare
8. Andre Greipel (Ger) Lotto-Soudal
9. Brenton Jones (Aus) Drapac
10. Jakub Mareczko (Ita) Southeast all same time
Overall classification after stage one
1. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Etixx-QuickStep in 3-17-58
2. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge
3. Nicola Ruffoni (Ita) Bardiani-CSF
4. Sacha Modolo (Ita) Lampre-Merida
5. Theo Bos (Ned) MTN-Qhubeka
6. Michael Kolar (Slo) Tinkoff-Saxo
7. Daniele Ratto (Ita) UnitedHealthcare
8. Andre Greipel (Ger) Lotto-Soudal
9. Brenton Jones (Aus) Drapac
10. Jakub Mareczko (Ita) Southeast all same time
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
-
London e-bike sharing scheme investigated over 'free' claims
Forest offer "10 minutes free daily", but a charge is always incurred
By Adam Becket Published
-
Knog Blinder 1300 review - excellent visibility for you and other road users
Solid performance, great mounting options and a respectable price point make the Blinder a great competitor for long nights this winter
By Joe Baker Published
-
'Finally, you broke the world record' - Inside reaction to Mark Cavendish's historic Tour de France revealed
Astana Qazaqstan have released Project 35, a documentary which shows the journey to triumph
By Adam Becket Published
-
'I haven’t entirely committed to what I’m doing' - Mark Cavendish refuses to rule out racing more, but will run a marathon next year
The Tour de France stage win record holder says that his plan is to head into cycling management
By Adam Becket Published
-
Mark Cavendish to conclude professional cycling career in Singapore
Tour de France stage win record holder to bring curtain down on racing career at ASO end of season criteriums in Asia
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Mark Cavendish set to end his career at Tour de France Singapore Criterium
Event will be Cavendish's final appearance for Astana Qazaqstan after he won a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage in July
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'I've lived everyone’s dream': Mark Cavendish hints at snap retirement after last ever Tour de France stage
The Manx Missile is the 2024 Tour's lanterne rouge
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
'I'm so tired': Emotional Mark Cavendish thanks teammates after surviving Tour de France time cut
The Briton is just two days away from finishing the Tour de France for an eighth time
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Mark Cavendish makes time limit on stage 19 - and four other tales of riders who survived the Tour de France cut-off
Brit finishes with more than five minutes to spare on Isola 2000
By Tom Davidson Published
-
End of an era: Witnessing Mark Cavendish's last ever Tour de France sprint
The Astana Qazaqstan rider finished 17th in Nîmes in what is almost definitely his last ever sprint at the Tour. Cycling Weekly was there to see it
By Adam Becket Published