By Emre Asikci
ANTALYA, Türkiye (AA) - Nico Denz claimed the fifth stage of the 58th Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye on Thursday.
The 29-year-old German cyclist of team Bora-Hansgrohe came first in the 180.6-kilometer (111-mile) ride, completing the stage between the Aegean resort towns of Marmaris and Bodrum in four hours, 26 minutes, and 27 seconds.
In a post-stage press conference, Denz said he was hoping for a stage win at the Tour of Türkiye, but not today.
"I had other plans. Today, it was a lead out for Matthew Walls and keeping our GC guys safe. But the finale was so technical that riding at the front was beneficial. For me, it's really nice to win a sprint."
Denz's teammate Matthew Walls placed second, while Cees Bol from Astana Qazaqstan Team finished in the third spot.
The fifth stage hosted 141 athletes from 24 teams, with Alex Lutsenko retaining the Turquoise jersey as general classification leader.
The eight-day event will continue on Friday, stretching 193.3 km from Bodrum to another coastal hotspot, Selcuk, in Izmir province.
Having started on Sunday from the district of Alanya — a picturesque town on the famed province of Antalya's Mediterranean coast — the race will come to an end in the metropolis of Istanbul on Oct. 15 after the cyclists travel eight days and 1,235 kilometers along the Turkish Riviera.
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 brought under presidential authority in 1966.
Remaining tracks:
Stage 6: Bodrum - Selcuk (193.3 km) (119 miles)
Stage 7: Selcuk - Manisa - Izmir (159.8 km) (98 miles)
Stage 8: Istanbul - Sultanahmet (130.5 km) (80 miles)