May 04, 2014 (Istanbul, Turkey) – Neo-pro Adam Yates became the first British winner of the Tour of Turkey in Istanbul on Sunday. En route to victory in the 50th edition of the eight day Turkish tour, Yates scored his first professional win, soloing across the line on the stage six summit finish. The win allowed Yates to move to top of the general classification by 1” over Rein Taaramäe (Cofidis).

Gapping Taaramäe at the finish on the final stage, Yates extended his lead to 5” by tour end. The 21-year-old is part of a hugely successful week for ORICA-GreenEDGE that includes six victories in the last eight days, bringing the team’s tally to 17 wins in the 2014 season.

“We came here racing for stages,” said Yates. “When you decide to race for stages in the mountains, you can go for the overall as long as you stay up there on the sprint stages. We weren’t targeting the overall but it came with targeting those two summit finishes.”

“On the first mountain stage, Taaramäe was clearly the strongest,” continued Yates. “The key moment of our race was when I won the next mountain stage and took the jersey off him. On the stage that I did win, the guys kept me out of the wind all day. I arrived at the bottom of the climb fresh, which was really important.”

“I can’t thank the team enough,” Yates added. “Hopefully there is more like this to come.”

The peloton flew into Istanbul on Saturday evening for a final stage circuit race around Turkey’s capital city on Sunday. The day included a 30 kilometre procession onto the circuit where the peloton would ride eight times around the 11 kilometre loop. The stage is traditionally one for the sprinters.

“It was pretty calm at the start,” said Dean. “The rain sort of dampened things a bit. Morale of the whole peloton was a bit low. It took a little while for the race to really get going, and that played into our hands. There were a couple attacks but nothing too serious. I think the peloton was tired.”

When the peloton hit the circuit, a seven rider breakaway formed off the front of the bunch. Several different teams patrolled the head of affairs, keeping the escape group in check. The leaders were unable to stretch their advantage beyond the minute mark.

“There was no one in the move that was a threat to the overall,” noted Dean. “This left us with just one priority. We kept Adam out of trouble, out of the wind and in a good position throughout the rest of the race.”

“We were never under any pressure but it was stressful,” admitted Yates. “The rain at the start was quite dangerous. It’s easy to slip or fall or get taken down by someone else. All the hard work during the week could be over just like that.”

Cannondale and Omega Pharma – Quick-Step upped the tempo in the final hour of the race, spelling an end for the break’s time out front. Just inside the start of the last lap, the bunch was back together. Initially, the Australian outfit was happy to allow the sprint teams to duke it out for control on the front. When Taaramäe rode his way to first wheel, Jens Mouris led the response for ORICA-GreenEDGE.

“The team rode well all day,” Yates said. “Toward the end, they went to the front before the one dangerous corner on the circuit to make sure we weren’t caught up in any crashes. We could breathe a sigh of relief when we hit the three kilometre mark. Even though things can happen after that, if they did, I would have gotten the same time as the leaders. It was stressful until we hit three kilometres. Then, we could relax.”

“We were never really under threat, but you never know,” added Dean. “We had to protect our position, especially when it’s only 1”. Jens and the other guys did a fantastic job in the final to keep Adam at the front and out of trouble.”

“The day went off pretty much without a hitch,” Dean added. “We were quite glad the rain clear. It was a lot better for everyone. The whole day was perfect for us.”

Results

Results

1. Mark Cavendish (Gbr) Omega Pharma-QuickStep  2:35:00
2. Elia Viviani (Ita) Cannondale
3. Andrea Guardini (Ita) Astana Pro Team
4. Kris Boeckmans (Bel) Lotto-Belisol Team
5. Greg Henderson (Nzl) Lotto-Belisol Team
6. Theo Bos (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team
7. Aldo Ino Ilesic (Slo) Unitedhealthcare Professional Cycling Team
8. Michael Van Staeyen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise
9. Kristian Sbaragli (Ita) MTN – Qhubeka
10. Ken Hanson (USA) Unitedhealthcare Professional Cycling Team
11. Frederique Robert (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert
12. Ahmet Orken (Tur) Torku Sekerspor
13. Andrea Peron (Ita) Team Novo Nordisk
14. Wouter Wippert (Ned) Drapac Cycling
15. Marco Canola (Ita) Bardiani CSF
16. Aidis Kruopis (Ltu) Orica GreenEDGE
17. Marco Haller (Aut) Katusha Team
18. Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Esp) Torku Sekerspor
19. Adam Yates (Gbr) Orica GreenEdge
20. Davide Formolo (Ita) Cannondale
21. Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
22. Enrico Barbin (Ita) Bardiani CSF
23. Ahmet Akdylek (Tur) Torku Sekerspor
24. Mirac Kal (Tur) Torku Sekerspor
25. Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk
26. Kristijan Durasek (Cro) Lampre-Merida
27. Romain Hardy (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
28. Robert Förster (Ger) Unitedhealthcare Professional Cycling Team
29. David De La Fuente Rasilla (Esp) Torku Sekerspor  0:04
30. Charles Planet (Fra) Team Novo Nordisk
31. Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
32. Yuriy Metlushenko (Ukr) Torku Sekerspor
33. Tomasz Kiendys (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice
34. Louis Verhelst (Bel) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
35. Valerio Conti (Ita) Lampre-Merida
36. Guillaume Boivin (Can) Cannondale
37. Maximiliano Ariel Richeze (Arg) Lampre-Merida
38. Gijs Van Hoecke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise
39. Tomasz Marczynski (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice
40. Joonas Henttala (Fin) Team Novo Nordisk
41. Cameron Wurf (Aus) Cannondale
42. Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Esp) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA
43. Sergiy Grechyn (Ukr) Torku Sekerspor
44. Alexsandr Dyachenko (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
45. Kevin Seeldraeyers (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert
46. Valentin Iglinskiy (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
47. Peio Bilbao (Esp) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA
48. Linus Gerdemann (Ger) MTN – Qhubeka
49. Dmitriy Gruzdev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
50. Jai Crawford (Aus) Drapac Cycling
51. Lachlan Norris (Aus) Drapac Cycling
52. Javier Megias Leal (Esp) Team Novo Nordisk
53. Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto-Belisol Team
54. Jarl Salomein (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise
55. Luca Dodi (Ita) Lampre-Merida
56. Alexander Rybakov (Rus) Katusha Team
57. Floris Goesinnen (Ned) Drapac Cycling
58. Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) Drapac Cycling
59. Kevin De Mesmaeker (Bel) Team Novo Nordisk
60. Adam Phelan (Aus) Drapac Cycling
61. Fabricio Ferrari Barcelo (Uru) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA
62. Gert Steegmans (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep  0:12
63. Niccolo Bonifazio (Ita) Lampre-Merida  0:17
64. Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits  0:18
65. Barry Markus (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team  0:24
66. John Murphy (USA) Unitedhealthcare Professional Cycling Team
67. Ruslan Tleubayev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team  0:27
68. Graeme Brown (Aus) Belkin Pro Cycling Team
69. Moreno De Pauw (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise
70. Jonas Vangenechten (Bel) Lotto-Belisol Team  0:45
71. Gianni Meersman (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
72. David Lozano Riba (Esp) Team Novo Nordisk  0:54
73. Adrian Kurek (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice
74. Robbie Hucker (Aus) Drapac Cycling  0:58
75. Alan Marangoni (Ita) Cannondale  0:59
76. Wesley Kreder (Ned) Wanty-Groupe Gobert
77. Andrea Manfredi (Ita) Bardiani CSF
78. Frederik Backaert (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert  1:01
79. Marc Demaar (Ned) Unitedhealthcare Professional Cycling Team  1:02
80. Andrea Palini (Ita) Lampre-Merida
81. Iljo Keisse (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep  1:05
82. Davide Rebellin (Ita) CCC Polsat Polkowice
83. Gregory Habeaux (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert  1:19
84. Kevin Van Melsen (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert
85. Nazim Bakirci (Tur) Torku Sekerspor  1:23
86. Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise
87. Matthias Krizek (Aut) Cannondale
88. Martin Wesemann (RSA) MTN – Qhubeka
89. Daniil Fominykh (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
90. Jérémy Bescond (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
91. Pawel Charucki (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice
92. Rafael Andriato (Bra) Neri Sottoli
93. Romain Lemarchand (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
94. Mattia Pozzo (Ita) Neri Sottoli
95. Javier Francisco Aramendia Lorente (Esp) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA
96. Tomas Aurelio Gil Martinez (Ven) Neri Sottoli
97. Nick Van Der Lijke (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team
98. Nicolas Edet (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
99. Luis Mas Bonet (Esp) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA
100. Ferekalsi Debesay Abrha (Eri) MTN – Qhubeka
101. Nicolas Lefrancois (Fra) Team Novo Nordisk
102. Dennis Van Niekerk (RSA) MTN – Qhubeka
103. Bernard Sulzberger (Aus) Drapac Cycling
104. Piotr Gawronski (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice
105. Yohan Bagot (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
106. Juraj Sagan (Svk) Cannondale
107. Karol Domagalski (Pol) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA
108. Gert Dockx (Bel) Lotto-Belisol Team
109. Petr Ignatenko (Rus) Katusha Team
110. Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Neri Sottoli
111. Arman Kamyshev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
112. Mirko Tedeschi (Ita) Neri Sottoli
113. Dmitriy Muravyev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
114. Grzegorz Stepniak (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice
115. Paolo Colonna (Ita) Bardiani CSF
116. Alessandro Bazzana (Ita) Unitedhealthcare Professional Cycling Team
117. André Greipel (Ger) Lotto-Belisol Team
118. Kevin De Weert (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
119. Nicola Boem (Ita) Bardiani CSF
120. Jelle Wallays (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise
121. Davide Frattini (Ita) Unitedhealthcare Professional Cycling Team
122. Youcef Reguigui (Alg) MTN – Qhubeka  1:37
123. Vegard Breen (Nor) Lotto-Belisol Team  1:44
124. Dennis Van Winden (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team  1:52
125. Robert Wagner (Ger) Belkin Pro Cycling Team  2:01
126. Damien Howson (Aus) Orica GreenEDGE  2:16
127. Leigh Howard (Aus) Orica GreenEDGE
128. Nico Sijmens (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert  2:43
129. Jens Mouris (Ned) Orica GreenEDGE
130. Andrea Fedi (Ita) Neri Sottoli
131. Jasper De Buyst (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise  3:05
132. Kenny De Ketele (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise  3:20
133. Petr Vakoc (Cze) Omega Pharma-QuickStep  5:06
134. Johann Van Zyl (RSA) MTN – Qhubeka
DNF  Heiner Rodrigo Parra Bustamente (Col) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA
DNF  Merhawi Kudus Ghebremedhin (Eri) MTN – Qhubeka
DNF  Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Wanty-Groupe Gobert
DNS  Rick Flens (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team
DNS  Jetse Bol (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team
DNS  Francesco Lasca (Ita) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA

Final GC

1. Adam Yates (Gbr) Orica GreenEDGE  30:26:22
2. Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits  0:05
3. Romain Hardy (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits  0:39
4. Davide Formolo (Ita) Cannondale  0:40
5. Davide Rebellin (Ita) CCC Polsat Polkowice  0:44
6. Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Esp) Torku Sekerspor  0:45
7. Kristijan Durasek (Cro) Lampre-Merida
8. Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Esp) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA  0:51
9. Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto-Belisol Team  0:58
10. Enrico Barbin (Ita) Bardiani CSF  1:04
11. Kevin Seeldraeyers (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert  1:18
12. Alexsandr Dyachenko (Kaz) Astana Pro Team  1:35
13. Tomasz Marczynski (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice
14. Javier Megias Leal (Esp) Team Novo Nordisk  2:10
15. Peio Bilbao (Esp) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA  2:32
16. Alexander Rybakov (Rus) Katusha Team  2:59
17. Fabricio Ferrari Barcelo (Uru) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA  3:27
18. David De La Fuente Rasilla (Esp) Torku Sekerspor  3:56
19. Adam Phelan (Aus) Drapac Cycling  5:47
20. Dennis Van Niekerk (RSA) MTN – Qhubeka  6:11
21. Gregory Habeaux (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert  6:43
22. Mirac Kal (Tur) Torku Sekerspor  7:01
23. Linus Gerdemann (Ger) MTN – Qhubeka  7:24
24. Valentin Iglinskiy (Kaz) Astana Pro Team  8:03
25. Nicolas Edet (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits  8:55
26. Cameron Wurf (Aus) Cannondale  9:12
27. Valerio Conti (Ita) Lampre-Merida  9:20
28. Lachlan Norris (Aus) Drapac Cycling  9:46
29. Nazim Bakirci (Tur) Torku Sekerspor  9:47
30. Greg Henderson (Nzl) Lotto-Belisol Team  0:11
31. Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) Drapac Cycling  0:10:48
32. Tomasz Kiendys (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice  0:10:57
33. Yohan Bagot (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits  0:11:02
34. Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits  0:11:34
35. Petr Ignatenko (Rus) Katusha Team  0:11:37
36. Charles Planet (Fra) Team Novo Nordisk  0:12:01
37. Marco Canola (Ita) Bardiani CSF  0:12:49
38. David Lozano Riba (Esp) Team Novo Nordisk  0:12:59
39. Frederik Backaert (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert  0:15:25
40. Jarl Salomein (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise  0:16:04
41. Jai Crawford (Aus) Drapac Cycling  0:16:09
42. Marc Demaar (Ned) Unitedhealthcare Professional Cycling Team  0:16:12
43. Daniil Fominykh (Kaz) Astana Pro Team  0:16:20
44. Karol Domagalski (Pol) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA  0:16:34
45. Paolo Colonna (Ita) Bardiani CSF  0:16:40
46. Vegard Breen (Nor) Lotto-Belisol Team  0:18:31
47. Gijs Van Hoecke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise  0:19:45
48. Alessandro Bazzana (Ita) Unitedhealthcare Professional Cycling Team  0:19:46
49. Joonas Henttala (Fin) Team Novo Nordisk  0:19:53
50. Luca Dodi (Ita) Lampre-Merida  0:20:15
51. Leigh Howard (Aus) Orica GreenEDGE  0:20:56
52. Kenny De Ketele (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise  0:23:07
53. Kristian Sbaragli (Ita) MTN – Qhubeka  0:23:17
54. Guillaume Boivin (Can) Cannondale  0:23:27
55. Jérémy Bescond (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits  0:23:39
56. Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise  0:24:28
57. Matthias Krizek (Aut) Cannondale  0:24:32
58. Sergiy Grechyn (Ukr) Torku Sekerspor  0:24:52
59. Gianni Meersman (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep  0:25:00
60. Alan Marangoni (Ita) Cannondale  0:25:37
61. Andrea Palini (Ita) Lampre-Merida  0:27:02
62. Andrea Manfredi (Ita) Bardiani CSF  0:27:05
63. Marco Haller (Aut) Katusha Team  0:27:29
64. Gert Dockx (Bel) Lotto-Belisol Team  0:28:07
65. Robbie Hucker (Aus) Drapac Cycling  0:28:45
66. Wesley Kreder (Ned) Wanty-Groupe Gobert  0:29:33
67. Davide Frattini (Ita) Unitedhealthcare Professional Cycling Team  0:32
68. Ahmet Orken (Tur) Torku Sekerspor  0:30:25
69. Damien Howson (Aus) Orica GreenEDGE  0:30:47
70. Tomas Aurelio Gil Martinez (Ven) Neri Sottoli  0:31:13
71. Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Omega Pharma-QuickStep  0:31:22
72. Luis Mas Bonet (Esp) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA  0:32:00
73. Rafael Andriato (Bra) Neri Sottoli  0:32:04
74. André Greipel (Ger) Lotto-Belisol Team  0:32:41
75. Jelle Wallays (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise  0:32:44
76. Nick Van Der Lijke (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team  0:33:04
77. Youcef Reguigui (Alg) MTN – Qhubeka  0:33:12
78. Pawel Charucki (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice  0:33:44
79. Ahmet Akdylek (Tur) Torku Sekerspor  0:33:46
80. Gert Steegmans (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep  0:35:05
81. Ruslan Tleubayev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team  0:35:45
82. Javier Francisco Aramendia Lorente (Esp) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA  0:35:48
83. Kevin De Mesmaeker (Bel) Team Novo Nordisk  0:36:01
84. Mirko Tedeschi (Ita) Neri Sottoli  0:36:48
85. Elia Viviani (Ita) Cannondale  0:36:54
86. Mark Cavendish (Gbr) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
87. Andrea Peron (Ita) Team Novo Nordisk  0:37:05
88. Robert Förster (Ger) Unitedhealthcare Professional Cycling Team  0:38:06
89. Maximiliano Ariel Richeze (Arg) Lampre-Merida  0:38:21
90. Adrian Kurek (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice  0:39:02
91. Kevin Van Melsen (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert  0:39:13
92. Michael Van Staeyen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise  0:39:35
93. Niccolo Bonifazio (Ita) Lampre-Merida  0:39:41
94. Romain Lemarchand (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits  0:39:48
95. Bernard Sulzberger (Aus) Drapac Cycling  0:40:40
96. Nico Sijmens (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert  0:41:23
97. Juraj Sagan (Svk) Cannondale  0:42:06
98. Johann Van Zyl (RSA) MTN – Qhubeka  0:42:35
99. Ferekalsi Debesay Abrha (Eri) MTN – Qhubeka  0:42:44
100. Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk  0:42:57
101. Dennis Van Winden (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team  0:43:05
102. Dmitriy Gruzdev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team  0:43:59
103. Aidis Kruopis (Ltu) Orica GreenEDGE  0:44:05
104. John Murphy (USA) Unitedhealthcare Professional Cycling Team  0:44:42
105. Nicola Boem (Ita) Bardiani CSF  0:44:43
106. Iljo Keisse (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep  0:44:45
107. Aldo Ino Ilesic (Slo) Unitedhealthcare Professional Cycling Team  0:45:00
108. Jasper De Buyst (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise  0:45:37
109. Barry Markus (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team  0:46:42
110. Graeme Brown (Aus) Belkin Pro Cycling Team  0:46:55
111. Arman Kamyshev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team  0:47:24
112. Martin Wesemann (RSA) MTN – Qhubeka  0:47:38
113. Grzegorz Stepniak (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice  0:48:03
114. Robert Wagner (Ger) Belkin Pro Cycling Team  0:48:11
115. Andrea Guardini (Ita) Astana Pro Team  0:48:39
116. Mattia Pozzo (Ita) Neri Sottoli  0:49:00
117. Kevin De Weert (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep  0:49:06
118. Floris Goesinnen (Ned) Drapac Cycling  0:49:08
119. Dmitriy Muravyev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team  0:49:22
120. Frederique Robert (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert  0:50:23
121. Jonas Vangenechten (Bel) Lotto-Belisol Team  0:51:07
122. Piotr Gawronski (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice  0:51:17
123. Yuriy Metlushenko (Ukr) Torku Sekerspor  0:51:32
124. Andrea Fedi (Ita) Neri Sottoli  0:51:36
125. Kris Boeckmans (Bel) Lotto-Belisol Team  0:52:58
126. Jens Mouris (Ned) Orica GreenEDGE  0:54:12
127. Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Neri Sottoli  0:54:35
128. Nicolas Lefrancois (Fra) Team Novo Nordisk  0:56:31
129. Moreno De Pauw (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise  0:56:48
130. Ken Hanson (USA) Unitedhealthcare Professional Cycling Team  0:57:07
131. Wouter Wippert (Ned) Drapac Cycling  0:57:47
132. Louis Verhelst (Bel) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits  0:59:20
133. Petr Vakoc (Cze) Omega Pharma-QuickStep  1:01:20
134. Theo Bos (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team  1:02:05