Argentine cyclist Sepulveda wins 4th leg of Tour of Turkiye

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) – Eduardo Sepulveda of the Drone Hopper-Androni Giocattoli team won the fourth stage of the 57th Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkiye on Wednesday.

Argentina's 30-year-old Sepulveda finished the 147-kilometer (91-mile) Izmir-Manisa track in southwestern Turkiye in three hours, 48 minutes, and 38 seconds.

With his victory, Sepulveda sits at the top of the tour's overall standings.

Israel-Premier Tech's Patrick came in second, while Lotto Soudal's Harm Vanhoucke finished third.

- Stage 2 crash

Several riders, including a police officer, were dragged down in a crash during Monday's stage 2 race after colliding with a physically disabled pedestrian who was on the road with his back to the peloton.

The Turkish Cycling Federation issued a statement about the accident, wishing the cyclists a speedy recovery.

“In addition to the athletes, the police officer who tried to get the pedestrian out of the road was also affected by the accident. Upon the occurrence of the incident, race doctors and medical team immediately took the necessary medical intervention. Afterwards, the treatment of riders involved continued at Dokuz Eylul University Hospital under the supervision of our medical team,” the federation said in a statement.

“Those whose treatments were completed were discharged, and it was seen that there was no obstacle for Nacer Bouhanni, one of the athletes involved in the accident, to travel by plane, and the further treatment process was planned to be continued in his own country. We wish a fast recovery to everyone affected by this unfortunate event,” it added.

The eight-stage Tour of Turkiye spans a total distance of 1,303 km (810 mi.) and will conclude in Istanbul on April 17.

The racers will cross continents at three different points – from Asia to Europe on the sixth day, returning to Istanbul's Asian side in the later stages, and then crossing back to the metropolis' European part.

Six World Tour teams are hunting the title this year, up from three in the previous edition, along with 12 professional and seven continental teams.

The Turkish Cycling Federation has been organizing the tour, earlier known as the Marmara Tour, since 1963.

It gained international status in 1965 and was brought under presidential authority in 1966.

The race is being broadcast live on TRT Spor Yildiz and Eurosport, while Anadolu Agency is among the global event's sponsors.​​​​​​​