A crazy finish leaves the Kometa Cycling Team without Gazzoli’s trump card

2nd Tour of Antalya
Stage 2: Antalya-Antalya (111 km)

Bittersweet feeling within the Kometa Cycling Team after the second stage of the Tour of Antalya in which the block once again protected its important men and worked to exploit the options in the sprint of its fast man. A succession of crashes in the last kilometre, up to three in barely 700 metres, conditioned the resolution of this second stage and left the Madrid team without the advantage of Michele Gazzoli’s speed. The transalpine sprinter was one of those involved in the last of the crashes, a very violent, high speed, after which he even broke his bike. As a result, he ended up badly injured on his left shoulder.

“It was crazy,” says Juan Camacho. The manchego, who was putting Gazzo in front of the sprint, ended up being the best of the Kometa Cycling Team riders at the Antalya finish line, tenth: “I stayed with Gazzo today until the end, Oldani had some problems. Gazzoli just passed me and the fall took place. I managed to avoid it by a hair’s breadth and as I wasn’t in a bad position I decided to get in. It was already late, although I managed to come back a few positions. But I didn’t have time for anything else. The most important thing is that Michele is well”.

“About 300 meters or so I went to the ground with other riders. We were fighting for a place in a big group. The collarbone doesn’t look broken, but it does look like it’s broken, or at least I’ve been displaced, a metal plate that I had from an old injury. We’ll see what happens tomorrow,” laments the former European junior champion, who crossed the finish line but whose presence in the race for Saturday becomes quite unlikely. “A crazy day”, coincides in his synthesis the Luxembourg Michel Ries. Dutchman Bas Van der Kooij, winner this Friday, is the new leader of the Tour of Antalya.

This Saturday, the Turkish race celebrates its crowning day. It will not be a particularly long stage in terms of mileage, it is disputed over 91.8 km, but the arrival at the archaeological site of Termessos will bring a great hardness and will be fundamental for the final classification of the race. A climb of 8.7 kilometres in which 511 metres of positive difference in level are faced up to 876 metres above the level where the finish line will be located, in the middle of the Gulluk Mountains.

(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)