Jasper Philipsen takes the top spot again at the Tour of Türkiye

Belgian athlete Jasper Philipsen, the winner of the fourth stage of the 58th Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye (Tour of Türkiye), said he wants to become the cyclist with the most stage wins in Turkey.

The 165.3-kilometer Fethiye-Marmaris stage was completed on the fourth day of the Tour of Türkiye, which is organized by the Turkish Cycling Federation under the auspices of the Presidency and with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

The Belgian cyclist, who won the race that featured a sprint finish, said, "I love Marmaris. I first came here in 2021. The final climb before the finish is what makes the race the most difficult here. Today, the entire stage was made even harder by other teams. Furthermore, the Bora-Hansgrohe team sent Nico Denz to the front from the start. This required us to use some of our riders to follow him. I couldn't understand why Bora did such a thing. When I reached the final meters, I only had my teammate Xandro Meurisse with me. He is not a pure domestique. However, despite everything, he contributed to me getting into a good position," he said.

Philipsen, who secured his 18th stage victory in UCI organizations this year, stated, "I love winning. Although it might look like a habit, in reality, every victory is very difficult on its own. I am very happy to be having a good season. I currently have 18 stage victories. I have 20 stage victories in my mind. There are other stages ahead of us."

Noting that Andre Greipel and Mark Cavendish are the most successful cyclists in the Tour of Türkiye with 11 stage wins each, Jasper Philipsen remarked, "I need to come to Turkey constantly to earn the title of the most successful athlete in the TUR. This year, it fit my schedule very well. Perhaps I might not be able to come to some races in the coming years. However, I love this place and its stages very much. I need to come here to catch up with Greipel and Cavendish."

Philipsen has a total of 6 stage victories in the Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye, 3 of which were achieved this year.

News Source: 12punto