The recovery after the drama: welcome back Tour of Antalya, race of our origins
After a good stage race, it’s time for a new one immediately. Having bid farewell to a Valencia which brought us podiums and top-15 finishes, Team Polti Kometa fly towards Asia Minor to compete in a race they’ve always participated in and continue to do so with pleasure: the Tour of Antalya, which in continuity between antiquity and futuribility takes us on a journey of discovery through Greek, Roman and Ottoman vestiges, as well as the maritime capital of Turkish tourism.
On the way to the Anatolian coast are four of the seven members of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, including the main candidates for placements: there are Paul Double and Davide Piganzoli as classification contenders, there’s sprinter Giovanni Lonardi led-out by Mirco Maestri. Those who differ from Spain are Andrea Garosio, Erik Fetter and Davide De Cassan.
It will be, as usual, four racedays, from Thursday to Sunday. The first two stages should be decided in sprints along the Antalya seafront; but while the first calls upon pure sprinters, the second nods to those who are a bit more resistant, given the intermediate passage through the mountains south of the city. Altitudes that will be protagonists the next day, with the difference that then, instead of descending, the riders will compete for GC with the uphill finish on Tahtali, “the mountain of the Gods”. Fast wheels will return to the spotlight in the last stage, notably the longest at 184 kilometers (the previous three don’t reach 150), starting from the world’s largest aquarium-tunnel to venture north on a Cat.2 KOM exactly halfway through, before returning to Antalya and speeding through Cumhuriyet Square.
At stake will be the magenta jersey of the race winner, but also the yellow one of the point standings and the orange one for the best climber.
The first stage in the history of this race, in 2018, coincided with the first victory of the Italo-Spanish structure in the Continental category, with Moschetti, who would also win the final stage three days later. In the following years, there were good GC placements: a 4th place for Juanpe Lopez and a 3rd place for Fancellu. Also worth noting is a stage victory for Lonardi, albeit with another team, in 2020.
Last year, however, we experienced the cancellation of the race due to the dramatic earthquake in eastern Turkey: the one starting the day after tomorrow will therefore be the edition of rebirth.
In a sense, it will also be a new beginning for sports director Giovanni Ellena, who will have the role of head director for the first time after his serious mountain accident a few months ago. With emotion well masked by the composure that distinguishes him, Ellena gives his analysis of the Tour of Antalya 2024: “We expect three sprints plus the uphill finish that will define the final classification, on a day with three thousand meters of total elevation gain and slopes over 15% in the last two kilometers. We will take care of GC with Double and Piganzoli and in the sprints we will run for Lonardi, all three of them have performed well at the Valenciana.”
And it’s the seasonal debut for one of the seven riders lined up by Polti Kometa, Hungarian Fetter: “I’m looking forward to seeing how the legs respond after a good winter preparation,” says Erik, born in 2000 in Budapest. “I’m facing this race for the first time in my life: it presents multiple opportunities for our team, I’ll work to position Lona well before the sprints and to help the captains Paul and Piga: they are in shape and I want to provide the best support.”
Stage 1: Side – Antalya (135 km) – 8/2
Stage 2: Demre – Antalya (140,5 km) – 9/2
Stage 3: Kemer – Tahtali (133,4 km) – 10/2
Stage 4: Antalya – Antalya (183,9) – 11/2
