Tour of Antalya

Robbe Ceurens (BEL)

“Stage one was hectic because of the strong wind. You could feel the bunch was quite nervous.”

“I really wanted to try being into the final sprint. I managed to be in a good position in the last kilometres. Then the crash happened, and I lost my chance.”

“It’s only day one though. It’s great to be here and kick off my first season as a Pro in Turkey, I feel very good and I’m ready to try again tomorrow.”

Nathan Smith (ENG)

“My first race as a stagiaire was a good one. Despite the heavy wind, the stage was steady until the climb where the sprinter teams started to fight for position at the front.“

“It feels good to be racing with the pro guys. I appreciate the advice and feedback that I received from them during and after the race, and I look forward to tomorrow’s stage.“

Sport Director, Vassili Davidenko (RUS)

“Tour of Antalya is a tough race to start the season with. Today we had strong wind all the way which made the stage more challenging for everyone.“

“We expected a fast finale and wanted Robbe to stay upfront to fight in it. He was well-positioned and ready to go but lost his chance due to the bad crash at only one km from the finish line. Still, it was a great performance considering this is also his first race as Pro rider!“

“Our guys came here with the right motivation and strong winter preparation, and they all came through this first stage as we planned. We have everything needed to achieve good results this season, and we’re going for those to show what’s possible with diabetes.“

Sam Brand (GBR)
Today I felt really good. It was nice to be at the head of the race with good legs, I couldn’t have asked for more!

I was at the front the whole day with Hamish (Beadle) who gave me such great support. He tried to bring me close to the front in the end for the sprint, but It was too hectic. We did our best, we’re enjoying racing and we are happy.

Hamish Beadle (NZL)
Man, it felt good! It was tougher than yesterday, hilly enough to create some extra challenges. But Sam (Brand) and I managed to get over the second climb well and hang on with the first group. It was a hectic sprint, and we gave it all.

General Manager, Vassili Davidenko (RUS)

We knew from the parcours that today was going to be a lot tougher than yesterday and sure enough on the first climbs the peloton split to pieces making it hard for our guys to stay together.

Although Sam and Hamish did a great job, racing towards the front, trying to stay where the action was and showing our Driving Change in Diabetes jersey up there the whole day. To have Hamish just off he top 20 at the end was very pleasing, he’s worked hard to be back at the business end of a race and he’s getting closer to a good result.

Sam Brand (GBR)

I felt it was another really good day today. I managed to stay with the main group until almost the end of the last climb and o can feel my climbing legs getting better each day.

Throughout the winter I’ve put a lot of work in and it’s paying off, I’m happy about that.

A big thank you to all my teammates. They have done an incredible job to put me in the right position today. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.

General Manager, Vassili Davidenko (RUS)

It was shorter stage today, but one that came with a tough uphill finish. We tried to get a a breakaway going at the very beginning, but it didn’t happen and unfortunately missed the chance when the main break was formed.

Throughout the stage we displayed a lot of good teamwork with everyone working together and trying to keep Sam in the front group until the final climb and he wasn’t far behind the leaders at the finish.

It’s the first race of the season and seeing our motivation and how we are working together is very satisfying and gives us high hopes and expectations for this season.

Hamish Beadle (NZL)

Today was a sprint day, a real sprint day. The kind of day I like. Flat with only a 3km climb early on. The first 20km were pretty hard with the big teams not letting any break go, but we stayed together, organized and pretty well positioned.

The rest of the stage was all about preparing for the finale. We all worked well together, and I had each one of my teammates there creating space for me, making sure I was in the right position. Declan (Irvine) supported me until the end and dropped me off around two kilometers to go and from there it was all about fighting and jostling in the hectic bunch sprint.

I’m happy with how today went and in general with how the last four days went. For the first race of the season, this is a real confidence booster.

General Manager, Vassili Davidenko (RUS)

After a few days of hard racing here in Antalya, today’s final stage was our last chance to bring home a good result.

We expected a fast finale and that’s certainly what we got. Thanks to great work by all the guys Hamish had a good chance to position himself well and he took it. In particular Declan, who was the last man leading him into the final kilometer, made sure Hamish was dropped off right where he needed to be.

After a tough year last year it’s a real boost for Hamish to make it into the top 15 today, ok we missed the top 10 by just a couple of places, but it’s only the beginning and we have the whole season to show what’s possible with diabetes!