Between rain and 10% gradients, Gomez takes 8th in the “queen stage” of the Tour of Turkey

In the queen stage of the Presidential Tour of Türkiye, Germán Gómez finished 8th — a position he now also holds in the GC. Meanwhile Giovanni Lonardi keeps the green jersey of the points classification.

The spirit and cohesion of Team Polti VisitMalta were on full display from the moment Pablo García joined an early 15-men breakaway — caught at the top of the first climb of the day — to the squad’s resistance under pouring rain, with as many as five riders staying within the main peloton, reduced to just fifty riders. On the drenched rollercoasters along the white shore of Turkey, the riders directed by Giovanni Ellena helped keep a new group of five attackers under control, eventually bringing them back on the final climb. There, on the double-digit slopes of Kıran, the 24-year-old Polti VisitMalta climber stayed among the nine leaders. When Poels (Astana) launched his decisive attack 2.5 km from the finish, the Colombian remained consistent and crossed the line in 8th place. A top-10 for him, and a top-20 for Diego Sevilla who came in 19th.

Gómez: “We managed to stay united on a truly demanding day! On that steep, technical climb I gave it absolutely everything. Now we’ve got more racing ahead and more chances to improve and fight again…”

Ellena: “The guys performed very well and were present in all the key moments, especially during the dangerous descent before the final ascent. Germán’s result confirms his quality and crowns an excellent effort by him and all his teammates.”