2011 Tour of Turkey
The 47th Tour of Turkey ( Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey ) was held to 1 May 2011 of 24 April. The cycling stage race was part of the UCI Europe Tour 2011, in which it was classified in the highest category 2.HC, and was discharged in eight stages with a total of 1363 km.
Participant
At the start were 22 cycling teams, including six ProTeam (Team Garmin - Cervelo, Omega Pharma-Lotto, Lampre- ISD, Liquigas -Cannondale, Saxo Bank SunGard, Pro Team Astana ). In addition, 14 Professional Continental teams were invited, including the German team NetApp. In the two other teams it was Turkish UCI Continental teams.
Route
After a transfer to the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, another flat stage followed to Turgutreis before the first time a hilly section was followed by the section to Marmaris with a mountain stage of the first class.
On the fourth day of the race, a 200 kilometer stage to Pamukkale was on the program, in which again a peak in the first category had to be overcome. After a long descent, and the way to the target increased. The next day, the longest at 218 kilometers section of the race to Fethiye followed. Here, too, were to climb two climbs of the first category, towards the end, the road led the riders but downhill from inland to the sea. The next stage was also the last serious topographical difficulties. After two more mountains of the first category and a departure, the driver moved almost 40 kilometers on a flat coastal road.
The last two stages were finally not very long and seemed predestined for sprints. Traditionally, ended the race in front of the house of the Turkish President in Alanya.
Overall, the majority of the sections corresponding to the respective stages of the previous year.
Stages
Race course
Winner of the first section, which ended in a mass sprint, was the young Italian Andrea Guardini of Farnese Vini- Neri sottoli, who had already won in his first year as a professional stages in the Tour de Langkawi and Tour of Oman. Also on the penultimate stage Guardini prevailed again. On the second day of the Kazakh Valentin Iglinski surprised the favored sprinters with his greatest success as a professional cyclist. Not in the sprint decisions surprisingly, the Americans could Tyler Farrar ( Garmin- Cervélo ) intervene. The somewhat hillier third leg went to the Italian Manuel Belletti of Colnago -CSF Inox, which won the sprint of a larger group.
His first victory Alessandro Petacchi took on the difficult fourth section, as the Lampre- ISD professional on the uphill stretch to Poland Bartosz Huzarski still intercepted. The driver of the German team NetApp but secured the turquoise jersey of overall leader. But the next day, a ten- man lead group drew up a lead of almost twelve minutes for the field. While secured his first professional win Matteo Rabottini of Farnese Vini, the American Thomas Peterson took over (Garmin- Cervélo ) the leader's jersey. However, Peterson lost on the next stage on the last climb contact with the other favorites that could dissociate him for about two minutes. Therefore, the Russian Alexander Jefimkin Team Type 1 - Sanofi Aventis took over from Zweitdivisionär the overall lead. As the only driver of the tour he could defend this longer than a day and eventually won the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey 2011.
While the German André Greipel by the Belgian team Omega Pharma-Lotto secured the sixth stage and thus import his third win of the season, he was beaten on the last section in a photo finish Dutchman Kenny van Hummel ( Skil- Shimano ) after Guardini on the penultimate day, had located in a mass sprint forward.