Featuring the two big climbs which defined the race last year as well as a third mountainous stage to further shake up the GC, the route of the Presidential Tour of Turkey has been unveiled.
The 50th edition of the race will begin on April 27th with a 144.7 kilometre stage starting and finishing in Alanya, with that plus the subsequent race to Kemer likely to finish in a bunch sprint.
The first stage for the climbers will rear up on day three when the peloton races the 184.7 kilometres from Finike to Elmali. That leg finishes 1825 metres above sea level and, as has been the case in recent years, utterly reshuffles the general classification.
After another likely sprint finish in Marmaris, the fifth stage heads to Turgutreis and includes what the organisers describe as difficult climbing sections. Those ascents will enable the contenders to put pressure on the race leader, who will either wilt or reinforce his lead on the climb to Selcuk at the end of stage six.
This saw Mustafa Sayar take both the stage and the overall lead, although it was later revealed that he had tested positive for EPO in the earlier Tour of Algeria and thus lost his victory in Turkey.
The final two stages are expected to again play into the hands of the sprinters. They are the 144.8 kilometre race from Kusadasi to Izmir and the concluding 121 kilometre leg starting and finishing in Istanbul.
The race will once again showcase the country, with stages running alongside the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts. It is expected to be covered by Eurosport and other broadcast companies.
In recent months race organisation director Aydin Ayhan Guney said that the event had big future ambitions. “We are ready for the WorldTour level. At the moment our budget is much more than many WorldTour events, so that’s not an issue,” he told VeloNation.
“The only question is the date in the calendar. As soon as we get a good date, we are ready to move up.”
Presidential Tour of Turkey 2014 (2.HC):
Stage 1, April 27: Alanya – Alanya, 144.7 km
Stage 2, April 28: Alanya – Kemer, 174.2 km
Stage 3, April 29: Finike – Elmali, 184.7 km
Stage 4, April 30: Fethiye – Marmaris, 124.3 km
Stage 5, May 1: Marmaris – Turgutreis, 177.3 km
Stage 6, May 2: Bodrum – Selcuk, 183.1 km
Stage 7, May 3: Kusadasi – Izmir, 144.8 km
Stage 8, May 4: Istanbul – Istanbul, 121.0 km