First PRO victory with Team Polti Kometa for Lonardi, new leader of the Tour of Turkey

A fantastic Team Polti Kometa in the Tour of Turkey third stage. A country that is bringing us luck after Piganzoli’s victory in the Tour of Antalya.

In the almost 150 kilometers from Fethiye to Marmaris, the squad controlled the situation with Paul Double, Erik Fetter and Diego Sevilla, who helped to catch the initial four-men breakaway and the subsequent five-men group formed on the two final climbs. It was precisely on the last hill that every attack was neutralized, and there three other men took the lead: Andrea Pietrobon, Mirco Maestri and Manuel Peñalver, who perfectly led Giovanni Lonardi through the treacherous descent to the finish.

Just as perfect was the timing with which the Veronese sprinter launched his sprint: only a clear deviation to the left by Danny Van Poppel prevented him from crossing the line first. The jury noticed it and declared the Polti Kometa rider the winner.

It’s his fourth career victory in professional races, the first with this Italian ProTeam (the second if we consider 2022 Classica Valenciana which was a 1.2 event): in addition to consolidating his lead in the points classification, Lonardi will wear the turquoise jersey as the new GC leader tomorrow in the 138 kilometers to Bodrum. “I’m thrilled, I’ve been looking for this so much! – he says after the podium ceremony – After two placements, a fair reward for me and my teammates. I find the disqualification of my opponent fair, I had the legs to overtake him and he closed me off.”

This is the satisfaction of sports director Giovanni Ellena: “This has been our best performance so far at the Tour of Turkey, and it was great regardless of the beautiful final result. Top!”