STARS OF THE 56TH PRESIDENTIAL CYCLING TOUR OF TURKEY HAVE THE WORD

JASPER PHILIPSEN, “I was left behind by Cavendish. I cannot forgive myself” 

ANDRE GREIPEL, “It is nice to see the big names again” 

ARTYOM ZAKHAROV, "I liked this jersey”

KING OF THE MOUNTAINS VITALIY BUTS, "I work for a Turkish team. My objective is to not let go of the jersey” 

FABIO JAKOBSEN, "We are colleagues, in that sense, we all work together”

Leading stars of the 56th Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey shared their insights on the stages and their purposes. 

Stars of Quick Step Mark Cavendish and Fabio Jakobsen, Artyom Zakharov from Astana team, Andre Greipel, the world-famous sprinter from Israel Start-Up Nation; Vitaliy Buts, the strong name of Salcano Sakarya and Jasper Philipsen from Alpecin team who was just left behind by Cavendish in Konya - Konya stage shared their remarks. 

I WAS LEFT BEHIND BY CAVENDISH, IT’S A PITY 

Jasper Philipsen who came through second in Konya-Konya stage : “I thought I was going to win but in the end Cavendish got me and left me behind, yes it was a disappointment for me. It’s a pity. My team carried me very well, but I couldn’t have a win. My team was very strong, but I was unable to make the final move.” 

ANDRE GREIPEL “WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER” 

André Greipel who came through 3rd in Konya - Konya stage: “I can say that I am content with the performance of my team. Yet I was unable to perform a good sprint. I was left behind by better sprinters than me. On the other hand, our team really performed well. It is the same for Alpecin-Fenix of course.  We found each other and in the end those who raced better had a win. It is nice to see old cyclists on the stage again.”  

ZAKHAROV, “I WON’T LET GO OF THIS JERSEY” 

The leader of Turkey’s Beauties Artyom Zakharov : “It wasn’t an easy stage. I felt the altitude.  I had hard times breathing during the stage. I ran the sprint to earn this jersey. As I am a track cyclist, it was more appropriate for me to aim for this sprint rather than the KOM climb.”

BUTS,"I AM HIGHLY MOTIVATED" 

KOM King of Mountains leader Vitaliy Buts: “I was in the breakaway group from the beginning, as I was very motivated for the KOM struggle. Now, my aim is to not let go of this jersey. Tomorrow, I will get in another breakaway to see if I can score new points. It is important for me to succeed in this sprint because I run for a Turkish team (Salcano Sakarya). Red Jersey matters a lot for the promotion of my team. I will do my best till the end.”

JAKOBSEN, “IT IS GOOD TO BE BACK” 

Fabio Jakobsen who joined the tour in Turkey 9 months after the big crash he had in the Poland Tour got the special trophy. “It is very special for me to return to the race. It is also special to witness the victory of Mark. He has been working for this victory since the beginning of this year. He is really motivated. I helped him as much as I could, though not much. It is great that he had a win, he deserved it. He is a big champion. I am trying to slowly get back to myself. People keep asking me when I will, once more, sprint for a victory, but they should just let me finish a multi- stage tour and get back to my form. I was as fit as Mark when I had a crash. It will take some time for myself to get back to that shape. In the meanwhile, I can work for a colleague like him or another team member. This would also motivate me a lot. It is good to be a pro-cyclist again. People are very friendly to me. I have raced with some of them for years, they tell me how content they are to see me back on the stage with them, I share the same feelings. In the end, we are all colleagues and we are in this sport together. I will be even more content if we manage to get a victory for my team. It is not important who has the win. My purpose in this multi-stage race is to finish the Tour and see better days. I have hope for the future,” Jakobsen said in a TV interview after the 2nd stage.