May 1/15 13:44 pm - Tour of Turkey: Stage 6

Posted by Editoress on 05/1/15
 

Pello Bilbao (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA) won after a lightning-fast final ascent on Day 6 of the Tour of Turkey, Denizli to Selcuk, 184 km. The young Colombian rider Miguel Ángel López (Astana Pro Team) was second, and another Colombian, Heiner Parra (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA) was third.

Kristijan Durasek (Lampre - Merida) finished 6th in the stage, but gained 43 seconds on the overnight leader, Davide Rebellin (CCC Sprandi Polkowice), and took over the overall lead . Rebellin, 19th today, now sits second overall at 21 seconds back. Third placed Eduardo Sepúlveda (Bretagne - Séché Environnement) finished 7th in the stage and is now third overall at 32 seconds back.

The race started fast. With the Torku Sekerspor riders under strict team orders to get a man into the breakaway, and no doubt other teams were on the same mission, the racing was intense for the first hour, during which the peloton covered 52 km. There were many skirmishes during that time: at one point yesterday’s stage winner, Sacha Modolo (Lampre - Merida), Adam Hansen (Lotto Soudal), his team-mate Boris Vallée and Ahmet Akdilek (Torku Sekerspor) found themselves with a small advantage, and at another time, 14 riders established a small gap. But each time the peloton, mostly led by CCC Sprandi Polkowice, defending the race leader Davide Rebellin responded. Some light rain was forecast at the 40 km point, and the Etixx - Quick Step team attempted to form echelons in the crosswinds before entering the weather. But the rain had been and gone by the time the race reached the predetermined spot, and the group continued largely intact.

At km 55, four riders had opened a small gap: Malcolm Rudolph (Drapac Professional Cycling), Jarl Salomein (Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise), Roy Jans (Wanty - Groupe Gobert), and the persistent Ahmet Akdilek. Between this quartet and the peloton, Genki Yamamoto (Nippo - Vini Fantini) gave forlorn chase. Jans and Salomein each had a handful of sprint points, but none of the five posed any danger in any of the competitions. and the peloton, finally, allowed them free rein.

Malcolm Rudolph (Drapac Professional Cycling) won the Intermediate sprint at 76 km.

At km 81, Yamamoto trailed the the leading quartet by 1m50s, with the peloton at 4m30s. Soon afterwards, he gave up his futile chase and rejoined the peloton.

In the feed zone, Nicola Ruffoni (Bardiani CSF), 3rd in stages 1 and 2, abandoned the race. At km 90, after two hours of racing, the advantage of the leading quartet over the peloton was 3m 20s.

Juraj Sagan (Tinkoff - Saxo) and his team-mate Nikolay Trusev set the pace at the front of the peloton, keeping the lead of the breakaway to something in the region of 2 minutes.

Jarl Salomein (Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise) won the the Intermediate sprint at 122.1 km.

The lead of Lluis Mas (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA) in the White Jersey competition was unthreatened. He still had 13 points, with Federico Zurlo (UnitedHealthcare) on 11. Salomein joined Mark Cavendish (Etixx - Quick Step), José Gonçalves (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA) and Mattia Pozzo (Nippo - Vini Fantini) on 5 points.

Roy Jans (Wanty - Groupe Gobert) won the the Intermediate sprint at 144.3 km

With 28 km to go, Akdilek collected a feed bag full of water bottles for his team-mates, and dropped back to the peloton, leaving three leaders on the climb towards the Category 3 climb. Back in the peloton, Bretagne - Séché Environnement replaced Tinkov - Saxo at the front of the peloton, piloting their GC contender, Eduardo Sepúlveda into position.

1 km from the GPM, with the peloton just 20 seconds behind the leaders, Jarl Salomein (Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise)  attacked his breakaway companions, hoping to make it as far as the Mountain line. At the same time, Daniele Colli (Nippo - Vini Fantini) darted out of the peloton. As the other breakaway riders were devoured by the peloton, Edwin Ávila (Colombia) sprinted at the front, working for his team-mate, the mountains leader Juan Pablo Valencia (Colombia).

The long sprint to the Category 3 climb (at km 162.4) saw Kenny De Ketele (Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise) dart past Valencia to take 3 points, with the Colombian holding on for second place.

Songezo Jim (MTN - Qhubeka) also gave chase, but crossed the line fourth, earning no points. Valencia therefore extended his lead over his closest rival to 5 points in the Red Jersey competition, sponsored by Turkish Airlines. It was a well-worked move.

At the U-turn with just under 10 km to go, Lampre - Merida moved to the front, steering Kristijan Durasek into perfect position for the right turn into the final climb. Bardiani - CSF riders also took up leading positions.

With 5.3km to go, at the foot of the climb, there was an attack from Nazim Bakirci (Torku ?ekerspor). He was caught 800m later. Brice Feillu (Bretagne - Séché Environnement) led the peloton, which was shedding riders quickly. With 3.8 km to go, the 2013 TUR winner Natnel Berhane (MTN - Qhubeka) appeared at the front, with Serge Pauwels on his wheel, and Carlos Quintero (Colombia). With 2.8 km to go, another Colombian, the Tour de l'Avenir champion Miguel Angel López (Astana Pro Team), attacked. Only Jay McCarthy (Tinkov -Saxo) went with him.

Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) led the chase, ahead of Lluis Mas, who had a posse of Caja Rural - Seguros RGA team-mates on his wheel.

López accelerated again with 2.4 to go, and dropped McCarthy. The Colombian, 3m24 secs down in GC, posed no threat in GC. Pello Bilbao (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA) was the next to give chase, followed by his team-mate Heiner Parra. Bilbao caught the Colombian, rode with him, then passed him in the final few hundred metres to win the stage by three seconds. López was comfortably second, ahead of his compatriot Parra, third. Fourth was Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal). The top five was rounded out by another Colombian, Alex Cano (Colombia) .
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