Presidential Tour of Turkey

Italy’s Andrea Guardini (Farnese Vini-Neri-Sottoli) won taken the first sprint at the Presidential Tour of Turkey, beating Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo) and several other big-name sprinters. “It’s beautiful to win ahead of a great champion like Farrar who has already won so many races”, Guardini said.

“A bit like at the Tour of Qatar, this is an unexpected victory for me. But it’s great to win the first stage because it gives the leader’s jersey at least for one day.”

The opening stage of the weeklong stage race crossed bridged Europe and Asia, held for the first time with a stage from historical Sultanhamet to Kadiköy on the Asian seaside of Istanbul. After a first break away by Igor Etxebarria (Caja Rural) and Bünyamin Ozdemir (Manisaspor), the bunch crossed the magnificent bridge over the Bosphorus all together and then the main breakaway of the day was formed after 25 kilometres of racing, nearby the stadium of Fehnerbace.

Marco Frapporti (Colnago-CSF), Rob Goris (Vérandas Willems) and Manuele Boaro (Saxo Bank-SunGard) were rejoined by Timon Seubert (NetApp), Arturo Mora (Caja Rural), Robin Chaigneau (Skil-Shimano) and Laszlo Bodrogi (Team Type 1) to form a front group of seven riders.

Lampre-ISD, Omega Pharma-Lotto, Garmin-Cervélo and later De Rosa-Ceramica Flaminia never gave the escapees an advantage of more than a minute, so a bunch sprint was inevitable and all riders regrouped with 15 kilometres to go.

Greipel won five stages at the Presidential Tour of Turkey last year but missed the sprint because of a flat tyre within three kilometres to go. The finish looked for Petacchi, who had the best position under the flamme rouge of the last kilometre, but the Italian veteran lost control of the situation and was relegated to the last position – instead of eighth – and penalised of one minute on GC after hitting French neo pro Nacer Bouhanni from FDJ during the final moments of the sprint.

Guardini got his sprint right “He came from behind and that was a good way to do it because there was kind of a downhill,” Tyler Farrar explained after finishing second.

1 Andrea Guardini (Ita) Farnese Vini – Neri Sottoli 2:35:54
2 Tyler Farrar (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo
3 Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Ned) Skil – Shimano
4 Manuel Belletti (Ita) Colnago – CSF Inox
5 Roberto Ferrari (Ita) Androni Giocattoli
6 Stefan Van Dijk (Ned) Veranda’s Willems – Accent
7 Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) FDJ
8 Juan Jose Lobato Del Valle (Spa) Andalucia Caja Granada
9 Diego Milán Jiménez (Spa) Caja Rural
10 Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) Veranda’s Willems – Accent
11 Filippo Baggio (Ita) De Rosa – Ceramica Flaminia
12 Mirac Kal (Tur) Konya Torku Seker Spor – Vivelo
13 Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
14 Jonas Aaen Jörgensen (Den) Saxo Bank Sungard
15 Ahmet Akdylek (Tur) Manisaspor Cycling Team
16 Andrea Grendene (Ita) Team Type 1 – Sanofi Aventis
17 Julien Fouchard (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
18 Takashi Miyazawa (Jpn) Farnese Vini – Neri Sottoli
19 Cristiano Benenati (Ita) De Rosa – Ceramica Flaminia
20 Juraj Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale
21 Andi Bajc (Slo) Manisaspor Cycling Team
22 Gabor Kasa (Srb) Manisaspor Cycling Team
23 Eric Baumann (Ger) Team Netapp
24 Riccardo Chiarini (Ita) Androni Giocattoli
25 Sergio Lagana (Ita) De Rosa – Ceramica Flaminia
26 Sacha Modolo (Ita) Colnago – CSF Inox
27 Jaroslaw Marycz (Pol) Saxo Bank Sungard
28 Michele Merlo (Ita) De Rosa – Ceramica Flaminia
29 Kevin Ista (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
30 Denys Kostyuk (Ukr) Lampre – ISD
31 Danail Andonov Petrov (Bul) Konya Torku Seker Spor – Vivelo
32 Valentin Iglinskiy (Kaz) Pro Team Astana
33 Manuel Ortega Ocana (Spa) Andalucia Caja Granada
34 Rubén Martinez (Spa) Caja Rural
35 Eyup Karagobek (Tur) Konya Torku Seker Spor – Vivelo
36 Mustafa Sayar (Tur) Konya Torku Seker Spor – Vivelo
37 Juan Pablo Forero Carreno (Col) Colombia Es Pasion – Cafe De Colombia
38 Egoitz Garcia Echeguibel (Spa) Caja Rural
39 Francesco Bellotti (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
40 Tom Veelers (Ned) Skil – Shimano
41 Nicolas Edet (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
42 Daniele Callegarin (Ita) Team Type 1 – Sanofi Aventis
43 Yoann Bagot (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
44 Jesús Del Nero Montes (Spa) Team Netapp
45 Andrea Pasqualon (Ita) Colnago – CSF Inox
46 Bartosz Huzarski (Pol) Team Netapp
47 Ryan Anderson (Can) Team Spidertech Powered By C10
48 Eloy Ruiz Pinto (Spa) Andalucia Caja Granada
49 Romain Zingle (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
50 Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ
51 Cameron Wurf (Aus) Liquigas-Cannondale
52 Kenny De Haes (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto
53 Svetoslav Tchanliev Kirilov (Bul) Konya Torku Seker Spor – Vivelo
54 Alexander Riabkin (Rus) Caja Rural
55 Jose Alberto Benitez Roman (Spa) Andalucia Caja Granada
56 Evert Verbist (Bel) Veranda’s Willems – Accent
57 Vitaliy Buts (Ukr) Lampre – ISD
58 Salazar Hugo Sebastian (Col) Colombia Es Pasion – Cafe De Colombia
59 Andrey Zeits (Kaz) Pro Team Astana
60 Dmytro Krivtsov (Ukr) Lampre – ISD
61 Rubén Reig Conejero (Spa) Caja Rural
62 Luca Barla (Ita) Androni Giocattoli
63 Alexander Efimkin (Rus) Team Type 1 – Sanofi Aventis
64 Leopold Konig (Cze) Team Netapp
65 Oleg Chuzhda (Ukr) Caja Rural
66 Juan Villegas (Col) Colombia Es Pasion – Cafe De Colombia
67 Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ
68 Carlos Andres Martinez Montero (Col) Colombia Es Pasion – Cafe De Colombia
69 Assan Bazayev (Kaz) Pro Team Astana
70 Andreas Schillinger (Ger) Team Netapp
71 Roman Kireyev (Kaz) Pro Team Astana
72 Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Omega Pharma-Lotto
73 Antonio Santoro (Ita) Androni Giocattoli
74 Damiano Margutti (Ita) De Rosa – Ceramica Flaminia
75 Allan Davis (Aus) Pro Team Astana
76 Alessandro Bisolti (Ita) Farnese Vini – Neri Sottoli
77 Travis Meyer (Aus) Team Garmin-Cervelo
78 Svein Tuft (Can) Team Spidertech Powered By C10
79 Thomas Peterson (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo
80 Igor Romero Etxebarria (Spa) Caja Rural
81 Rubens Bertogliati (Swi) Team Type 1 – Sanofi Aventis
82 Luis Felipe Laverde Jimenez (Col) Colombia Es Pasion – Cafe De Colombia
83 Hector Leonardo Paez Leon (Col) Colombia Es Pasion – Cafe De Colombia
84 Wim De Vocht (Bel) Veranda’s Willems – Accent
85 Giorgio Brambilla (Ita) De Rosa – Ceramica Flaminia
86 Daniel Petrov (Bul) Konya Torku Seker Spor – Vivelo
87 Rémi Pauriol (Fra) FDJ
88 Jure Kocjan (Slo) Team Type 1 – Sanofi Aventis
89 Vicente David Bernabeu Armengol (Spa) Andalucia Caja Granada
90 Elia Viviani (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
91 Arturo Mora Ortiz (Spa) Caja Rural
92 Olivier Kaisen (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto
93 Valeriy Kobzarenko (Ukr) Team Type 1 – Sanofi Aventis
94 Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Team Type 1 – Sanofi Aventis
95 Adam Hansen (Aus) Omega Pharma-Lotto
96 Matteo Rabottini (Ita) Farnese Vini – Neri Sottoli
97 Jonathan Patrick McCarty (USA) Team Spidertech Powered By C10
98 Will Routley (Can) Team Spidertech Powered By C10
99 Elia Favilli (Ita) Farnese Vini – Neri Sottoli
100 Jan Barta (Cze) Team Netapp
101 Fabio Piscopiello (Ita) De Rosa – Ceramica Flaminia
102 Sandy Casar (Fra) FDJ
103 Aitor Perez Arrieta (Spa) Lampre – ISD
104 Damien Monier (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
105 Sergey Renev (Kaz) Pro Team Astana
106 Francois Parisien (Can) Team Spidertech Powered By C10
107 Manuele Boaro (Ita) Saxo Bank Sungard
108 Laszlo Bodrogi (Fra) Team Type 1 – Sanofi Aventis
109 Lucas Euser (USA) Team Spidertech Powered By C10
110 Thomas Bonnin (Fra) Skil – Shimano
111 Alexsandr Dyachenko (Kaz) Pro Team Astana
112 Fatih Harmanci (Tur) Manisaspor Cycling Team
113 Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Team Garmin-Cervelo
114 Laurent Didier (Lux) Saxo Bank Sungard
115 Jacobus Venter (RSA) Veranda’s Willems – Accent
116 Angelo Pagani (Ita) Colnago – CSF Inox
117 Marco Frapporti (Ita) Colnago – CSF Inox
118 Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Team Garmin-Cervelo
119 Antonio Cabello Baena (Spa) Andalucia Caja Granada
120 Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) FDJ
121 Omar Lombardi (Ita) Colnago – CSF Inox
122 Jürgen Van Goolen (Bel) Veranda’s Willems – Accent
123 Yevgeniy Nepomnyachshiy (Kaz) Pro Team Astana
124 Giairo Ermeti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli
125 Oscar Gatto (Ita) Farnese Vini – Neri Sottoli
126 Rob Goris (Bel) Veranda’s Willems – Accent
127 Marek Canecky (Svk) Manisaspor Cycling Team
128 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Saxo Bank Sungard
129 Evgeni Gerganov (Bul) Konya Torku Seker Spor – Vivelo
130 Brett Lancaster (Aus) Team Garmin-Cervelo
131 Gustav Larsson (Swe) Saxo Bank Sungard
132 Timothy Duggan (USA) Liquigas-Cannondale
133 Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) Saxo Bank Sungard
134 Jens Debusschere (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto
135 Enrico Magazzini (Ita) Lampre – ISD
136 Kasper Klostergaard Larsen (Den) Saxo Bank Sungard
137 Vladimir Koev (Bul) Konya Torku Seker Spor – Vivelo
138 Paolo Locatelli (Ita) Colnago – CSF Inox
139 Andrea Noe (Ita) Farnese Vini – Neri Sottoli
140 Lubos Pelanek (Cze) Farnese Vini – Neri Sottoli
141 Francesco Ginanni (Ita) Androni Giocattoli
142 Luca Solari (Ita) Androni Giocattoli
143 Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ
144 Vitaliy Kondrut (Ukr) Lampre – ISD
145 Jeremy Yates (NZl) Manisaspor Cycling Team
146 José Luis Roldan Carmona (Spa) Andalucia Caja Granada
147 Adrián Palomares Villaplana (Spa) Andalucia Caja Granada
148 Albert Timmer (Ned) Skil – Shimano
149 Jarlinson Pantano (Col) Colombia Es Pasion – Cafe De Colombia
150 Victor Hugo Pena Grisales (Col) Colombia Es Pasion – Cafe De Colombia
151 Robin Chaigneau (Ned) Skil – Shimano
152 Gianfranco Visconti (Ita) De Rosa – Ceramica Flaminia
153 Sven Vandousselaere (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto
154 Balint Szeghalmi (Hun) Lampre – ISD
155 Yann Huguet (Fra) Skil – Shimano
156 Feng Han (Chn) Skil – Shimano
157 Timon Seubert (Ger) Team Netapp
158 Bünyamin Özdemir (Tur) Manisaspor Cycling Team
159 Bruno Langlois (Can) Team Spidertech Powered By C10
160 Ronan Van Zandbeek (Ned) Skil – Shimano
161 Nicolas Vogondy (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
162 Francis Mourey (Fra) FDJ
163 Dean Podgornik (Slo) Manisaspor Cycling Team
164 Vicente Reynes Mimo (Spa) Omega Pharma-Lotto 0:00:34
165 Murilo Antonio Fischer (Bra) Team Garmin-Cervelo 0:00:36
166 Julian Dean (NZl) Team Garmin-Cervelo
167 André Greipel (Ger) Omega Pharma-Lotto
168 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre – ISD 0:01:00