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Ulissi and Bennett enjoy a cracking autumn

Bennett is the only rider to win three consecutive 2017 WorldTour stage race stages

October 15, 2017
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Although the WorldTour Tour of Turkey couldn’t draw the interest of more than four WorldTour teams in its first season in the top level of racing, it proved to be a boon for two riders from those four squads. Diego Ulissi (Italy/UAE-Emirates) took the GC title after winning the queen stage on Friday. Four stages, including three in a row, went to Irishman Sam Bennett of Bora-Hansgrohe.

Ulissi claimed the sky blue jersey on Sunday, finishing 12-seconds faster on GC than Astana’s Dane Jesper Hansen to become only the second Italian to earn the title in 55 editions.


The Tour of Turkey concluded Sunday in Istanbul with Ulissi taking fifth to winner Belgian Edward Theuns, another WorldTour rider from Trek-Segafredo. Theuns, who had twice come runner-up to Bennett, along with third and fourth, ripped the points jersey away from Irishman, who was 54th after hitting a barrier and crashing in the sprint. Bennett can take solace in being the only rider to win three consecutive WorldTour stage race stages in 2017.

Theuns is off to Sunweb next season after two years with Trek. Teammates Gregory Rast and Markel Izizar sent along their kudos.


Ulissi has enjoyed a memorable fall. Although he has won five stages of the Giro d’Italia, he had never taken an all-around WorldTour win until claiming the 8th GP Cycliste de Montréal in September. Now he adds a WorldTour stage race to his palmares. Ulissi has raced for Lampre/UAE-Emirates for eight years and has a contract with the team for next season.

Bennett’s only other WorldTour triumph was this year on Stage 3 of Paris-Nice.

There is one WorldTour race left, the Tour of Guangxi in China, which begins Thursday.