Stage 2 of the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey finished with an uplhill sprint in Kalkan. Approximately half the peloton made it to the finish to contest the sprint, with Matyas Kopecky leading Team Novo Nordisk home in 41st.

The 22-year-old is recovering from illness and was seen paying close attention to the front of the peloton, always in the front ten in the final 15 kilometers. 

A breakaway of five riders spent a large portion of the day out front and were given a maximum gap of just over 2 minutes. The 167 kilometer stage from Kemer to Kalkan saw the first climbs of the day. 

“I was happy to be in the front but disappointed that I couldn’t contest the sprint. I had high hopes paying close attention to the moves in the final but when the road kicked up, I just didn’t have what it took to today,” Kopecky said. 

“Yesterday the race started well for us with Andrea getting a top 10 and Filippo in the breakaway and I think there will be many more opportunities for us to come this week.”

Stage 3 is from Fetiye to Marmaris over 175.9km with another sprint finish expected.