Sam Bennett of Bora-Hansgrohe and Fernando Gaviria of Quick-Step Floors will face each other in Tour of Turkey next week, in a six-stage tournament with nine world-class cycling teams
2017 was the first time that the Presidential Tour of Turkey was added to the WorldTour calendar.
The road cycling stage was moved from its usual slot in April to October. However, only four WorldTour teams showed up due to political unrest in the country.
?? 54. Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey nature of our wonderful city on October 11 will take place between Fethiye and Marmaris.?♀?♂
— Tour of Turkey (@tourofturkeyTUR) October 6, 2018
WorldTour rules state that any race stage that is unable attract at least ten top-tier teams for two consecutive seasons will be discontinued from the tournament. However, the Tour of Turkey will be continued in 2019 despite low participation over the past few seasons.
The teams
The nine teams participating in this year’s race include Bahrain-Merida, Bora-Hansgrohe, Quick-Step Floors, Astana, UAE Team Emirates, BMC Racing, Team Sunweb, Katusha-Alpecin and Trek-Segafredo.
Bora-Hansgrohe’s Sam Bennett came out victorious in last year’s tour, claiming the winning title in four stages. He returned as the dominant rider in this year’s Giro d’Italia, winning three stages despite tough competition.
Bennett said that he always wanted to win a Grand Tour stage and suddenly he won three in Giro. The recent victory has really bolstered his confidence and plans to maintain his winning streak in the upcoming Tour of Turkey.
