Stanisław Aniołkowski timed his sprint to perfection to win Stage 4 of the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkiyeafter a messy run-in to Fethiye, with Victoria’s Riley Pickrell (Modern Adventure Pro Cycling) so close in second.
The 130-km stage along the coast was animated early by a six-man break featuring four Turkish riders, before teams like Cofidis, Flanders-Baloise and Alpecin-Premier Tech brought things back under control.
Controlled peloton
Repeated attacks on the rolling roads toward the finish kept the pace high and stretched the peloton, but nothing stuck in the final kilometres. Fernando Gaviria launched early in the sprint, but misjudged the timing as the sprint opened up in chaotic fashion.
Aniołkowski came through the gap perfectly, while Pickrell followed strongly but could not quite close the wheel in time. The result leaves Pickrell just short of a big pro win, while Aniołkowski takes a well-earned victory on the Turkish coast. He also had a solid ride in Stage 1, taking 11th.
Toronto’s Noah Ramsay, racing again since his crash at Étoile de Bessèges, also had a solid ride. The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider finished 21st.
Pickrell on his new team
Although he was forced to abandon the Volta a Catalunya in March due to illness, Pickrell, who joined George Hincapie’s new team from the team now known as NSN Cycling, has had a solid spring.
At the UAE Tour, he had three top-10s, showing his sprinting prowess. He said then that the team was really meshing, in terms of its leadout. “They’re learning how to ride as a team with a common goal,” he said. “It makes a difference in how we operate in races and how the morale is. From AlUla to here, you can see the progression.”
As far as the new team, he is fitting in well. “It feels like a team run by former riders, and they understand what it’s like to be a pro,” the 22-year-old pro said. “The management understands we’re not just names on a spreadsheet — we’re people. Our requests are heard, and even when the answer is no, they’re understood. That’s more than you get on a lot of teams.”
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…