"After this result in Tour of Turkey I may have to go for the GCs" - Frank van den Broek laughs after his surprise win

Frank van den Broek impressed last week with a stage and final victory in the Tour of Turkey. On the final climb of stage 6, the 23-year-old Dutchman from DSM-firmenich PostNL was the strongest ahead of former long-time professional Merhawi Kudus.

Along with his team, Van der Broek celebrated total of five stage wins, something rather unprecedented. "We were a bit tired of buffets in the hotels. And we also had something to celebrate with the team. We said to each other during that dinner: we will probably never experience this again," he says in an interview with AD.

"Two years ago I was still riding as a club rider, not at a professional level. Someone recently sent me a reminder that we were doing a small race in Hungary. I thought: 'hey, was that only two years ago?' It's all going pretty fast. During the training camps last winter I trained a lot with the climbing group. But during the Flemish spring I noticed that these races should also suit me in the future. But after this result in Turkey I may have to go for the GCs. I didn't make it easier for myself," he laughs.

"When I was in eighth grade, I tore my ACL. That's pretty rare when you're that young. I never had surgery because my age made it impossible. As a result, I have not been able to play contact or team sports since I was 12. That's how I ended up cycling."