Steep hill in Tour of Türkiye sets UCI record

MUĞLA

The third stage of the Tour of Türkiye witnessed history in the making as cyclists tackled the steepest hill ever recorded in Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) races on Oct. 10.

The stage featured a grueling ascent on the 104.1-kilometer track, starting in the southwestern Fethiye town.

Between the 50th and 68th kilometers, cyclists ascended around 1,000 meters, setting the stage for an intense competition. In the last 20 kilometers from Ölüdeniz beach to the Babadağ summit, athletes descended to zero elevation before climbing back up to 1,937 meters. The final climb featured a daunting 10.4 percent slope, marking it as the steepest hill in the history of UCI-sanctioned races.

The cyclists took 2.5 hours to reach the stage's challenging last part, while the 18-kilometer climbing section was completed in just over an hour by the top contenders. Alexey Lutsenko of Kazakhstan's Astana team emerged victorious, finishing the race in first place with a time of 3 hours 34 minutes and 17 seconds. Ben Zwiehoff from Germany's Bora Hansgrohe team secured the second position, trailing by 12 seconds, while Colombian Harold Tejada from Astana claimed the third spot, finishing 27 seconds behind the leader.

With this victory, Lutsenko not only claimed the stage but also seized the general classification leadership by narrowing the 24-second gap with the winner of the first two stages, Jasper Philipsen of Belgium's Alpecin-Deceuninck team.

The event also marked a change in jersey holders. While the green jersey for the sprint leader remained with Philipsen, the red jersey for the climb leader was awarded to Lutsenko. As he was set to wear the turquoise jersey in the upcoming stage, the red jersey was passed on to Zwiehoff.

The Fethiye-Babadağ stage drew a crowd of around 1,000 spectators who gathered at the top of Babadağ.

This year's Tour of Türkiye, the premier event of Turkish cycling, began in the southern town of Alanya on Oct. 8. The event, originally scheduled for April 23-30, was postponed due to devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye's southern regions on Feb. 6.

The race boasts the participation of 25 professional cycling teams and promises a thrilling journey along the Mediterranean and Aegean coastlines.

The eight-stage race will conclude in the historic peninsula of Istanbul, a marvel that has stood for 8,000 years. The tour's challenging routes test the cyclists' mettle, including the flat stretch from Alanya to Antalya city, the demanding stage from Kemer to Kalkan districts, the climbers' paradise from Fethiye to Babadağ and the sprinters' battleground from Fethiye to Marmaris.