Tour of Turkey 2015, Stage 8: Mas is more in Istanbul

by Steve Thomas

Following an transfer by air, the Tour of Turkey hit the streets of Istanbul Sunday for the final stage of this year’s race, the 51st edition.

Dulling rain clouds loomed over the historical Sultanahmet start and finish area, but luckily the rains held off until the race was done, which was just as well given the tricky run in. “It could be really dangerous, especially if it rains. There’s a sharp climb and then a 500-m cobbled run-in with a hairpin bend.” said Christian Meier on the start line.

In recent years, the race has started from beneath the shadows of the Blue Mosque in the oldest area of Istanbul, and then finished outside of the main city centre. Last minute negotiations lead to a race around one of the most visited tourist areas in the world for the first time.

From the start (which sits in Turkey’s tiny European sector), the riders crossed the Bosphorus into Asia, made a loop, and then returned to the European side of Turkey for nine 9-km circuits around the city walls, the only single day race that can claim to take place on two continents.

There was plenty of action off the front of the race, but nothing at all looked like it would stand much chance of staying clear before that crucial technical final climb and run-in to the line.

There were plenty of teams out there determined to shed Mark Cavendish on the final climb. It was to be the Spanish Caja Rural-Seguros RGA team that did just that, sending Luis Mas off the front in the closing minutes of the race.
As the riders hit the U-turn at 300-m-to-go, Mas was clinging on for all he was worth, and Cav was just a few bike lengths behind, leading a small chase group. By the scruff of his neck, Mas held off the Manxman to take an impressive stage victory. Kristijan Durasek of Lampre-Merida held on to take a well-deserved overall victory in the race.

Orica-GreenEdge went away without a victory, but satisfied with their lot. Meier explained, “We came with a very young team, had some good rides, but missed out on a stage win. Overall, I think we had a pretty good race.” Christian Meier finished 17th overall.

2015 Tour of Turkey, Stage 8 Top Three

1. Luis Mas (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA)
2. Mark Cavendish (Etixx-QuickStep)
3. Carlos Barbero (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA)