Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) capitalized on the expected day for the sprinters in stage seven of the Presidential Tour of Turkey, and the day played out as anticipated with a bunch sprint into Izmir. Kittel went from 300 metres out and dominated the smaller group sprint, made that way by a slow motion pileup on the final hot dog turn with less than a kilometre to go, created when two Vini Fantini riders slid out in the middle of the bunch on the right hander.
The pileup happened on the same sharp corner that saw the dramatic run in to the finish by Iljo Keisse (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) a year ago. Keisse was trying to escape alone, and appeared as if he would, until he slid out and dropped his chain on the final bend. He was able to remount and finish just in time, and just ahead of the sprinters then. There were no such fireworks ahead of the peloton on the turn this year, but the low speed crash caught up several of the contenders for the stage.
Kittel managed to distance Andrea Guardini (Astana), who was second, and Lampre-Merida sprinter Ariel Maximiliano Richeze, who took third.
Kittel’s stage seven victory comes after his stage one win in Alanya. It was pointed out to the German at the finish that his team captain Koen de Kort had targeted exact stages for Kittel victories, and Kittel was able to smile at what he considered to be added pressure from his team-mate.
“I might have to talk to De Kort, about adding that extra pressure,” Kittel joked. “But I’m very happy, and we can be very happy with two stage wins so far. Tomorrow is another flat stage, and we’re looking forward to that. I’m proud of how we’ve worked, with teamwork in flat stages and mountain stages.
“[De Kort and I] lost each other two kilometres before the finish, and in that last corner, I clicked out of my left pedal, but then I clicked in again, and I was sliding around on my rear wheel. But De Kort did a great job. He put me on the wheel, and I had to go early, but I’m feeling really strong at the moment.”
How it played out:
Mikhail Ignatiev (Katusha) took out the first of three Turkish Beauty intermediate sprint points, consolidating his lead in that classification just a few kilometres into the 124km day. The Russian kept up the pace through the line and tried to establish a break, but was unsuccessful, and many moves after that would fail as well. Tomas Vaitkus (Orica-GreenEdge) tried to get another move going, eventually joining with Anthony Delaplace (Sojasun) and others, but this move was soon brought back as well. Crelan-Euphony’s Baptiste Planchaert tried a dig as well, before the peloton became more willing to let something go, after a hectic first hour of racing.
Michael Hepburn (Orica-GreenEdge) sprung a move with Christopher Juul Jensen (Saxo-Tinkoff) and Benoit Jarrier (Bretagne-Seche Environment) in tow. The three were joined by Martijn Verschoor (Novo Nordisk), Nikolay Mihaylov (CCC Polsat Polkowice), and Mauro Finetto (Vini Fantini), and a breakaway was born. The peloton called time-out for a natural break, and it wasn’t long before the six-man group had two and a half minutes on the peloton.
After taking most of 15 kilometres off the let the gap build, MTN-Qhubeka woke up the main bunch again and began the pace making to keep the gap in check and ensure a day for the sprinters. The break’s advantage never got above 2’30”, and it was back under two minutes with 40km to race. Argos-Shimano and Accent Jobs-Wanty joined in the chase as Finetto took the second intermediate sprint in the break, unchallenged as they continued to ride through and share turns.
With 30km to go, the break was contained at 1’30”, and Argos-Shimano really began to crank it up under the 20km banner, getting help from Orica-GreenEdge. Blanco and NetApp-Endura were assisting as well, and Hepburn made a final effort with 7km left, in a bid to replicate Keisse’s effort from last year. But it was not to be for the Australian, who was pulled back with still 4 kilometres to the line.
With 3km to go, a monkey wrench was thrown in to the action with a median in the road, which split off a handful of riders on the right side of the road, with no way back onto the proper side. Two race marshals had been standing in the gap to try and force the riders left, but speeds were too high for some to be able to heed their warning.
Omega-Pharma-Quick Step grabbed full control with UnitedHealthcare just behind. The crash on the sharp right hander caught up some of the sprinters, rendering ineffective the whole lot from Orica-GreenEdge, as well André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol), but Kittel, Guardini and others escaped. Bardiani Valvole, Astana, and Argos-Shimano performed a small lead-out, with Andy Fenn (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) stuck out in the wind too soon. Kittel came around him with 300 metres left but had plenty in the tank to hang on, ahead of Guardini and Richeze. Bryan Coquard (Europcar) went long for fourth.
Presidential Tour of Turkey stage 7 results:
1. Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano)
2. Andrea Guardini (Astana)
3. Ariel Maximiliano Richeze (Lampre-Merida)
4. Bryan Coquard (Europcar)
5. Sonny Colbrelli (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox)
6. Jake Keough (UnitedHealthcare)
7. Francesco Lasca (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA)
8. Blaz Jarc (NetApp-Endura)
9. Aidis Kruopis (Orica-GreenEdge)
10. Nicolas Maes (Omega Pharma-Quick Step)
General Classification:
1, Mustafa Sayar (Torku Sekerspor)
2, Natnael Berhane (Europcar)
3, Yohan Bagot (Cofidis)
4, Maxime Mederel (Sojasun)
5, Nicolas Edet (Cofidis)
6, Cameron Meyer (Orica-GreenEdge)
7, Darwin Atapuma (Colombia)
8, Florian Guillou (Bretagne-Seche Environment)
9, Danail Andonov Petrov (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA)
10, Rory Sutherland (Saxo-Tinkoff)