Matevz Govekar claimed victory in the second stage of the Tour of Antalya on Thursday afternoon. The 23-year-old Slovenian from Bahrain-Victorious emerged triumphant in a sprint from a reduced peloton. Jelle Johannink, representing Tour de Tietema-Unibet, attempted to prevent a sprint finish but was unsuccessful.
Alongside WorldTour teams Alpecin-Deceuninck and Bahrain-Victorious, Tour de Tietema-Unibet stands out in the Turkish tourist resort. Bas Tietema's Pro Continental team aimed to demonstrate its strength by sending a rider into the breakaway. Norwegian newcomer Cedrik Bakke Christophersen represented the team in the breakaway alongside Italian Marco Tizza (Bingoal WB), Pole Kamil Malecki (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), Frenchman Alois Charrin (Tudor Pro Cycling), Ukrainian Anatoliy Budyak (Terengganu Cycling Team), and Australian Drew Morey (Kinan Racing Team).
The climb Prime, spanning 7.1 kilometers at a 7.2 percent gradient, proved to be the sole ascent of the day, posing a significant challenge for leader Timothy Dupont. Unfortunately, the Belgian sprinter struggled and was unable to keep up with the pace of the peloton. Charrin also encountered difficulties, suffering a flat tire uphill and dropping back from the leading group. In his absence, two new riders emerged at the front: Norwegian Adne Holter (Uno-X Moblity) and Swiss Roland Thalmann (Tudor Pro Cycling). Interestingly, amidst the scenic landscape, Budyak claimed the mountain prize at an altitude of 1286 meters, marking the highest point of the Turkish stage race.
The descent towards the finish in Antalya, compounded by rain, proved treacherous, leading to incidents. Tizza endured a nasty crash on the asphalt, causing him to fall back from the breakaway group, reducing their numbers to six. However, this situation was short-lived, as a peloton consisting of over forty riders caught up with the breakaway just over ten kilometers from the finish, setting the stage for a bunch sprint for the second consecutive day.
Similar to Owen Geleijn's attempt on Wednesday to avoid a sprint with Johannink five kilometers from the finish, his late attack also faltered within the final kilometer. In the end, Govekar secured victory in the sprint, with Belgian Kenneth van Rooy (Bingoal WB) and Italian Giovanni Lonardi (Polti Kometa), who finished second on Wednesday as well, taking second and third place, respectively.
Results stage 2 Tour of Antalya 2024
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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