Belgian cyclist Jasper Philipsen wins 1st leg of Tour of Türkiye

By Emre Asikci

ANTALYA, Türkiye (AA) - Belgian cyclist Jasper Philipsen won the first stage of the 58th Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye on Sunday.

The 25-year-old came first in the 135 km (83 miles) ride, completing Alanya-Antalya stage in 2 hours, 44, minutes, and 31 seconds.

Gleb Syritsa came second, while Tarteletto-Isorex's Timothy Dupont completed the race third.

The race will continue with the Kemer-Kalkan stage on Monday.

Starting from the Alanya district of Antalya on Sunday and ending in Istanbul on Oct. 15, the cyclists will travel 1,235 kilometers (767 miles) in the Turkish Riviera by the end of the eight-day race.

The Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye, which is the only intercontinental bicycle tour in the world, will host four world tour teams, seven professional, 12 continental, and one national team.

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 taken under presidential authority in 1966.

Remaining tracks:

Stage 2: Kemer - Kalkan (166.5 km) (103 mile)

Stage 3: Fethiye - Babadag (104.1 km) (64 mile)

Stage 4: Fethiye - Marmaris (165.3 km) (102 mile)

Stage 5: Marmaris - Yalikavak (180.6 km) (111 mile)

Stage 6: Bodrum - Selcuk (193.3 km) (119 mile)

Stage 7: Selcuk - Manisa- Izmir (159.8 km) (98 mile)

Stage 8: Istanbul - Sultanahmet (130.5 km) (80 mile)