Cycling: Tour of Turkey to start next week

20 teams from across the world will compete in 950-km, 6-stage tour

By Fatih Erel

ISTANBUL (AA) - Spokes will get into high gear in the 54th Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey starting next Tuesday, Oct. 9.

Organized by the Turkish Cycling Federation, the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey debuted in 1963 and became an international race two years later.

This year's edition will see 20 teams from across the world, including the Turkish national team, race in the 950-kilometer tour.

The Tour of Turkey was promoted to World Tour category and will reach a wide audience through broadcasts in more than 120 countries.

This year, the six-day tour will start in Konya and end in Istanbul on Oct. 14.

"We hope to take the podium on at least one or two stages of the tour," Mehmet Safakci, the coach of the National Turkish Cycling Team, told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.

Nine strong "World Tour" teams will be among 20 teams with 140 cyclists racing in the Tour of Turkey, Safakci said.

Turkish cyclist Ahmet Orken said: "This tour promotes the sport of cycling in Turkey. If it was not held in Turkey, we could not race in this tour as we do not have a team at this level."

"We will compete with well-organized and stronger teams compared to last year," Orken said.

Stages:

Stage 1: Konya - Konya / Oct. 9 // 149.7 km

Stage 2: Alanya - Antalya / Oct. 10 // 154.1 km

Stage 3: Fethiye - Marmaris / Oct. 11 // 137 km

Stage 4: Marmaris - Selcuk / Oct. 12 // 206.7 km

Stage 5: Selcuk - Manisa / Oct. 13 // 136.5 km

Stage 6 Bursa - Istanbul / Oct. 14 // 166 km

Teams:

Turkish National Team

Astana Pro Team

Bahrain - Merida