Sam Bennett of team Bora-Hansgrohe enjoyed his forth victory out of the five days at the Tour of Turkey today (Saturday). Fifth stage of the race saw 180 kilometers between ancient town of Selçuk and the coastal city of İzmir.
Bennett was quoted saying “I’m delighted to get the win, with the effort the guys put in. Sadly we didn’t have Gregor [Mühlberger] today: we’d have loved to keep him up in GC, so we really had to fight for UCI points in the sprints. I got my 10 wins for the season, so that’s always been a career goal, and it’s the first time I’ve ever achieved that, and I’m very proud of that. I’m going to really enjoy this off season. I’m really happy.”
Home grown Turkish talent and national champion Ahmet Örken of the Turkish National Team came second while Italian Simone Consonni of UAE Team Emirates took third place on the podium.
Turkish professional cyclist and champion Ahmet Örken, who rides for UCI Continental team Torku Åžekerspor and of the Turkish National Team was born in Konya in 1993. Örken had a relatively late start to cycling at the age of 14 in 2007. Örken holds a special place in Turkish professional cycling being the first ever European cycling champion from his home country by winning the 2011 European Track Championships in Portugal.
4th stage winner and the man with the leader’s Turquoise Jersey, Diego Ulissi of UAE Team Emirates continues to be the favorite to win the Tour of Turkey. The iconic race will come to an end with stage six tomorrow, Sunday 15th when it takes place in the majestic city that spans over two continents, Istanbul.
By: Alp Sarper
