Today's queen stage of the
Tour of Turkey was crucial for the outcome of the general classification, and it was won by Drone Hopper - Androni Giocatolli's
Eduardo Sepúlveda who took his first win since the 2016 Tour de San Luis.
"I actually can't believe it, but I am very happy, because all those years of work are now paying off... At the beginning of the year, the team already told me that I would ride here, so I had already circled this stage," the Argentinian said in a post-race interview.
“I knew Nairo was the strongest rider, but unfortunately for him he fell two days ago. That made it more of an open game today. Before I attacked, there had been many attacks. I was a bit on the limit, but when I saw an opportunity, I went for it and rode straight to the finish," he added. Sepúlveda attacked with 4.5 kilometers to go and although it wasn't a sharp move, he proved to have the legs to keep the gap he built and sustained his attack until the finish where he won with 15 seconds over the closest competitors.
“It is still four days. And yesterday I fell two more times, so I'm in a bit of pain. But for now I'm very happy and I'm going to fight for the next four days," he concluded. He will have to defend his lead until the finale of the race which won't be an easy task, however he is in pole position to take the overall win.