ADDS AWARDS CEREMONY, REMARKS BY BEVIN
By Emrah Oktay
ISTANBUL (AA) - New Zealand cyclist Patrick Bevin on Sunday claimed the crown in the 57th Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkiye after the Istanbul leg of the tour was called off due to unsafe weather conditions.
Bevin, who rides for Israel-Premier Tech, won based on Saturday’s completed 7th leg of the race at the 135.3-kilometer (84-mile) Gelibolu-Tekirdag track in western Turkiye, which he finished in three hours, 21 minutes, and two seconds.
With his win, the 31-year-old moved to the top of the tour's overall standings.
Alpecin-Fenix's Jay Vine trailed two seconds behind Bevin, and Arkea Samsic's Nicolas Edet came in third, just four seconds behind the leader.
The seventh stage, which hosted 153 participants from 25 teams, kicked off in the historic Gallipoli (Gelibolu) Peninsula and ended in the northwestern Tekirdag province on Saturday.
The eight-stage race was due to culminate in Istanbul on Sunday, with a total length of 1,303 km (810 mi), but the last stage was canceled due to inclement weather.
Although the race started early Sunday at Istanbul’s famed Taksim Square with the participation of 149 cyclists from 25 teams, the team coordinators requested cancellation due to an unsafely slippery road when the teams arrived at the Kuzguncuk district on the Asian side, after biking 141.1 km (87.6 mi) in total.
Later Sunday an awards ceremony was held in front of Ataturk Cultural Center in Taksim Square, with the attendance of Vice President Fuat Oktay and Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoglu.
Bevin got the coveted turquoise jersey, while Noah Granigan, Jasper Philipsen, and Batuhan Ozgur won the red, green, and white jerseys respectively.
"It was very enjoyable to come from New Zealand and tour such a beautiful city. We had a really nice tour but I wish it was a real race," Bevin told the ceremony.
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 the presidential aegis in 1966.