PRESIDENTIAL TOUR OF TURKEY STAGE 3: 
THREE OUT OF THREE SAM BENNETT (BORA – HANSGROHE) 
Full official results, rider quotes, race photography, stage report,

Marmaris, 13 October 2017 – Sam Bennett (BORA Hansgrohe) continued his history making run at the Presidential Tour of Turkey (2.WT) today. In Marmaris, he became the first rider to win 3 stages in a row at the TUR since its internationalisation in 2008. 

Edward Theuns (Trek Segafredo) was second for the second time in two days, and Simone Consonni (UAE Team Emirates) was third.

To download full official results, click here.

All photography: credit Brian Hodes / VeloImages

In the post-stage press conference, the first question came from Sam Bennett himself: “When was the last time anyone won four in a row?”, referring to his win in the Sparkassen Münsterland Giro (1.HC) on 3 October, followed by three consecutive stage wins at the 53rd Presidential Tour of Turkey (2.WT). 

Spor Toto Fethiye Marmaris Stage 3 Summary Results

1. Sam Bennett (BORA Hansgrohe) in 3:25:26

2. Edward Theuns (Trek Segafredo) s.t.

3. Simone Consonni (UAE Team Emirates) s.t.

Jerseys

Spor Toto Turquoise jersey: overall race leader: 22 Sam Bennett (BORA-Hansgrohe)

Turkish Airlines Red Jersey: mountain classification leader: 113 Mirco Maestri (Bardiani–CSF)

Vestel White Jersey: Beauties of Turkey classification leader: 4 Onur Balkan (Turkish national team)

Salcano Green Jersey: points classification leader: 22 Sam Bennett (BORA-Hansgrohe)

Rider quotes

Stage winner and Spor Toto Turquoise jersey (overall race leader) Sam Bennett (BORA-Hansgrohe)

In the modern Presidential Tour of Turkey, three stages in a row has never been done before. How happy does that make you?

“I'm delighted, After the first stage I was wondering, can I get another? After the second, I was like, 2 in a row, I'll be lucky to get another one, and here I am. I couldn't have dreamed of this. I'm absolutely delighted. Since Cyclassics Hamburg (20 August)) for some reason I set this race as a target. I wanted good results here. I was supposed to end my season at Münsterland, but I said to my team, Can I do Turkey? I'm normally motivated and good in the late season, I wanted to get some results. and we're actually doing it. The way the guys are riding, it 's amazing, 110% in the heat. They're doing a great job, trying to control it. They've been getting some help from other teams but the guys have been working hard since day 1. It's been a long season for them too, so I want to thank the team and staff. It was a hard last cimb, I really didn't know how I would react. I saved everything for it, I tried to keep a good position. I saw a bit of a split happening at the top and I tried to close it early. My coach when I was a teenager said it's always better to close a gap early. I had 3 guys with me. In the final, it was fast and I was the one panicking! The guys were so confident. I was shouting at them 'Go, go, go,' but they didn't listen to me. They kept their cool and delivered me perfectly. At one point I dive bombed one of my team mates which nearly ruined it all. Shane Archbold should have been there, so there would have been 4 of us. It was entirely my fault. Maybe we shouldn't be too greedy, but we'll try and do it again.”

The other teams wanted to make the race hard for you on the climb

“It hurt but I knew it was short enough, and I can go deep when it's short enough. There was a bit of a headwind. I did feel it, and if it had been any longer, maybe I would have popped, but I would have done it.”

Is this race a bridge for you to a higher level?
“I think it's definitely a stepping stone. I'm delighted. If the race was longer and harder, Theuns could definitely beat me. I do think it's a good learning process and it's a stepping stone to bigger races where there are bigger sprinters. Sometimes I find it easier when there are a lot of big sprinters: it's more chaotic and you can get through. It's important to do this. It's important to learn how to win. You need to be stronger, but the strength is coming with age and seasons in the tank. But I think also for my place in the team, I'll always be behind Peter Sagan, I know that, but I'm hoping that I'm a solid second place, I get the support, and now, going into the off season, this puts it in the minds of the directeurs sportifs of the team, when they put together the race plan for 2018. I'd love to be able to deliver Peter and help him win big races, but I hope I get a lot of opportunties again as I did this year. It was a really good mix this year and I hope it carries on.”

The last winners here were Mark Renshaw (2012), André Greipel (2013 & 15), Mark Cavendish (2015), Sacha Modolo (2016)...

“I think I'm building my status. I'm not a big name, but it's building, and it has grown my confidence to be able to go to bigger races and believe I belong there, and I think that's very important. When I see big riders who've done amazing things in the sport and your winning the same race they have won, it's always a confidence builder.”

What can you do in tomorrow's stage?

“It's probably not for me.”

Do you realise you are a hero in the Turkish media? 

“Look, I wanted to win 3 stages, but you can't always get what you want. I'm just trying my best and in some way I'm shocked that I've actually delivered.”

Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo), second in the stage:

You tried to make it hard for Bennett on the climb.

"In the end, I think we as a team could make it hard, but United Emirates could make it hard, and they did, but in the end Bennett was climbing also pretty good, so I just tried to save as much power on the climb as I could for the sprint. But in the end, he was still there and today I tried another tactic, I tried to take his wheel. I wanted to try and come from there but when he goes he just takes one and half meters on me. In the second acceleration, I can come back a little bit but he's just far more explosive than I am. It's not easy to beat him.

How frustrated are you?

"I am a little bit more [frustrated than yesterday] because I hope today maybe we could get over the climb without him, but it didn't work, his climbing is also pretty good because I think we were only left with 20 guys at the top, or maybe 30. So that means he's also climbing pretty good. He's the fastest of the bunch here and I think I am the second fastest so we are one and two again. Yeah, you cannot say a lot about it.

A word on Greg Daniel:

"Yeah it was actually pretty good because they went, and in the beginning the guys from Bora-Hansgrohe said they did not want to pull and we for sure didn't haven't pull because Greg was there. And if the peloton would have kept going at the pace we did in the first 20 or 30 kilometers than maybe he had a good chance, but Emirates started to ride pretty fast and Bora helped. I think he did a pretty strong job because he stayed in front alone for a really long time and in the bunch we were riding hard. In the end, it's a pity for him that he couldn't win anything there.

On Trek-Segafredo lined up on one side with other teams while Greg was still out front:

"It happens sometimes for a sprint it's better to hold one side of the road because then there is less pushing and stuff like that. I mean the team did a super job there: (Marco) Coledan and (Eugenio) Alafaci were there [and] with two working they kept us there in the front and then me and (Jarlinson) Pantano could stay in the line really easy so that was really good to go into the final climb. Yeah, the team is working super strong but it is hard to get a sprint victory against Bennett because he is just faster than me now."

Simone Consonni (UAE Team Emirates), third in the stage: “I came here to do well, for the team and myself. We were set to ride stage 1 for [Marko] Kump but he crashed and we got [Federico] Zurlo to substitute him [4th]. Yesterday I finished fifth, which was quite good, and today I knew it suited me more. I struggled a bit on the climb. My team-mates helped me to stay up there and make it back to the front part of the bunch for the last kilometer. I sprinted but against Bennett and Theuns, it’s difficult. I launched from far out and I will settle for third place for now.”

Turkish Airlines Red Jersey (mountain classification leader) Mirco Maestri (Bardiani–CSF): “We realized in the only categorized climb of the day that there wasn’t much of a battle, so we took benefit of a sprint for one point that might eventually be an important one. UAE was leading the bunch. We agreed with [Enrico] Barbin to stretch the bunch. Tomorrow, there’ll be a difficult stage. Whoever wins atop that first category climb will take the red jersey. Unless I’m at the front to go for the stage win, I’ll lose the jersey. For now we enjoy this lead. We work united.”

Vestel White Jersey (Beauties of Turkey classification leader) Onur Balkan (Turkish national team): “Today we send a team mate at the front in order to take the Turkish beauty sprint prime. He came second but it’s fine with us. Ahmet Örken did well in the sprint. Tomorrow we hope to do well in the queen stage as well. I’ll try to break away again to consolidate my white jersey.”

SPOR TOTO FETHIYE MARMARIS STAGE 3 REPORT

In warm conditions with a hint of wind from the north, which could translate into a cross-headwind for the first 100 km of the stage, and then a tail wind for the final twenty kilometres of the stage. The peloton, 99 strong, passed Km 0 at 11.40, with immediate attacks. 

6 Feritcan Samli (Turkish national team) and 37 Greg Daniel (Trek Segafredo) launched the first attack of the day. The speed was high. After ten minutes of racing, their lead was 50 seconds. After 15 minutes of racing, 104 Thomas Deruette (WB Veranclassic Aquality Protect) then bridged to the leading pair, making a group of 3. 98 Lincoln Silva (Soul Brasil Pro Cycling Team) then attacked out of the peloton, hoping to cross the void to the three leaders.

After 9.5 km of racing the three led by 3m 32 secs. They were then joined by 98 Lincoln Silva (Soul Brasil Pro Cycling Team). So, after 10 km of racing, the leaders were as follows:

6 Feritcan Samli (Turkish national team)

37 Greg Daniel (Trek Segafredo)

104 Thomas Deruette (WB Veranclassic Aquality Protect)

After 12.5 km, those three led poor 98 Lincoln Silva (Soul Brasil Pro Cycling Team) by 1m 15s, with 3m56s over the peloton. Lincoln Silva's luck then took a turn for the worse when he punctured. After a quick wheel change, he resumed his possibly forlorn chase.

22 km into the stage, Lincoln Silva languished 4 minutes 30 seconds back, with the peloton at 6 minutes 20 seconds. After 26 km, Silva lay 5 minutes 15 seconds back, and the peloton 6 minutes 37 seconds.

As the leaders approached the Category 2 climb, with an advantage of 5m46s over the peloton, Lincoln Silva accepted reality and dropped back into the body of the peloton. 

With their lead over the peloton at 5m 02s, the breakaway riders disputed the sole categorised climb of the stage: 

Km 32.9: Category 2 climb (Turkish Airlines Red Jersey competition)

1. (5 pts) 104 Thomas Deruette (WB Veranclassic Aquality Protect)

2. (3 pts) 6 Feritcan Samli (Turkish national team)

3. (2 pts) 37 Greg Daniel (Trek Segafredo)

4. (1 pt) 11 Mirco Maestri (Bardiani CSF)

With 28 more mountain points available in the race as a whole, 104 Thomas Deruette (WB Veranclassic Aquality Protect) moved into second place in the Turkish Airlines Red Jersey competition. Deruette was now on 5 points, with the leader Mirco Maestri (Bardiani CSF) on 9. 

Meanwhile, the advantage of the leaders evolved as follows:

km 42: 5 minutes 08 seconds

km 50: 5 minutes 08 seconds

km 54: 4 minutes 44 seconds

km 72: Intermediate sprint (Salcano Green Jersey competition)

1. (5 pts, 3 bonus secs) 6 Feritcan Samli (Turkish national team)

2. (3 pts, 2 bonus secs) 104 Thomas Deruette (WB Veranclassic Aquality Protect)

3. (1 pt, 1 bonus sec) 37 Greg Daniel (Trek Segafredo)

km 84: 2 minutes 30 seconds

km 86: 2 minutes 20 seconds

At the front of the peloton, Miguel Flores and Alex Turrin (Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia), Michael Schwarzmann and Leopold König (BORA Hansgrohe) and Vegard Stake Laengen (UAE Team Emirates) took turns to set the pace at the front of the peloton.

Km 89: 2 minutes exactly.

Km 94: 1 minute exactly 

At this point, with the breakaway clearly plainly visible on the long straight road ahead, the peloton momentarily relented, and held the gap at 1 minute. A file of Soul Brasil Pro Cycling Team riders then moved towards the front, perhaps thinking of the “Beauties of Turkey” sprint. The gap closed to 35 seconds, but the leaders raised the pace and disputed the sprint among themselves. 

km 101: “Beauties of Turkey” sprint (Vestel White Jersey competition)

1. (5 pts) 37 Greg Daniel (Trek Segafredo)

2. (3 pts) 6 Feritcan Samli (Turkish national team)

3. (1 pt) 104 Thomas Deruette (WB Veranclassic Aquality Protect)

Greg Daniel, in the saddle, force dthe pace through the line, took the prize, then kept going, forming a solo breakaway. With 25 km to go, he led the peloton by 53 seconds, and his former breakaway companions by 22 seconds. Samli and Deruette shook hands and called it a day. Now it was the peloton against the young American. 

Climbing, with 23 km to go, 117 Alessandro Tonelli Bardiani-CSF and 121 Davide Ballerini (Androni – Sidermec- Bottecchia) attacked, and were joined by 92 Raphael Pires* (Soul Brasil Pro Cycling Team), but the peloton, led by BORA Hansgrohe riders, responded quickly and close them down. 

Greg Daniel's lead his 1 minute 10 seconds, then contracted to 47 seconds as he wrapped himself around his frame for a Mohoric-style pedalling descent. 

Daniel's lead:

19 km to go: 40 seconds.

18 km to go: 39 seconds

17 km to go: 39 seconds

16 km to go: 39 seconds

15 km to go: 37 seconds

The riders completed 112 km in 3 hours, an average of 37.4 kph. In Daniel's wake, a bizarre spectacle emerged. On the right hand side of the road, his Trek Segafredo team mates formed a sprint train while studiously NOT chasing. Opposite them. UAE Team Emirates and BORA Hansgrohe formed their sprint trains and chased after Daniel. The two lines of riders, one chasing, the other conspicuously not chasing, were travelling at the same speed. Cycling can be a strange sport.

14 km to go: 36 seconds

13 km to go: 33 seconds

11 km to go: 13 seconds

10.4 km to go, Greg Daniel waved to the camera and gave up. He was passed by the peloton with 10 km to go, receiveing a pat on the back from hjis team-mate Marco Coledan.

At the same moment, there was an attack by Edoardo Zardioni (Bardiani-CSF). When he was caught, Daniel Martínez (Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia) had a go. The group threatened to s;lit. But Sam Bennett was cool in about tenth place, with four team-mates around him. In the final, difficult city semi-circuit, his team-mates gave him the perfect lead-out and the result, Bennet first, Theuns second, and an excellent young Italian sprinter completing the podium – in this case, Simone Consonni (USE Team Emirates) seemed  somehow familiar.