Alexey Lutsenko Claims Victory in 58th Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey
Alexey Lutsenko from Kazakhstan’s Astana team emerged as the overall champion in the 58th Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey (Tour of Turkey). The Tour of Turkey, organized by the Turkish Cycling Federation with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, concluded with the 130.5-kilometer Istanbul-Sultanahmet stage on the eighth and final day.
The race began at Hagia Sophia Square, with the Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak flagging off the cyclists. They rode from Ahırkapı to Kennedy Street and crossed over to the Anatolian Side through the Eurasian Tunnel. The athletes passed through various locations such as Üsküdar, Harem, Kuzguncuk, Beylerbeyi, and Kandilli, before arriving in Beykoz. From there, they returned to the European Side, passing through Barbaros Street, Beşiktaş, Karaköy, and Galata Bridge, before reaching the Historical Peninsula. The 8-stage and 1235.1-kilometer challenge ended in Sultanahmet.
The final stage, which featured a sprint finish, was won by Jasper Philipsen from the Belgian Alpecin-Deceuninck team. This marked Philipsen’s 4th stage victory in the TOUR 2023 and 7th overall.
In the general classification, Alexey Lutsenko secured the top position after dominating the Fethiye-Fethiye (Babadağ) stage. Lutsenko, representing Astana, maintained his lead throughout the race and finished with a total time of 30 hours, 6 minutes, and 58 seconds. Ben Zwiehoff from the German team Bora-Hansgrohe secured second place, while Harold Tejada from Astana claimed third place.
The green jersey for the best sprinter went to Jasper Philipsen for the third consecutive year. Philipsen, who won 3 stages in this year’s TOUR, continued his success as the sprint leader.
Australian cyclist Jay Vine, representing UAE Team Emirates, emerged as the best climber in TOUR 2023. Vine’s attack in the last 25 kilometers of the seventh stage propelled him to victory and earned him the red jersey as the “King of the Mountains.”
The white jersey, symbolizing the beauties of Turkey, was awarded to Mauro Verwilt from Belgium’s Tarteletto-Isorex team in the final stage.
In the team rankings, Bora-Hansgrohe from Germany claimed the top spot, followed by Green Project-Bardiani-Faizine from Italy and Burgos-BiH from Spain.
With his 19th stage victory in TOUR 2023, Belgian cyclist Jasper Philipsen surpassed Tadej Pogacar’s record of 17 stage victories and further cemented his position as a top cyclist.
The Tour of Turkey showcased the remarkable skills and determination of the participants, as they tackled challenging stages and traversed continents. The event not only highlighted the popularity of cycling in Turkey but also demonstrated the country’s ability to host prestigious international sporting events.
