"It’s unfortunate - we wanted to race" - Uno-X DS criticises decision to cancel Tour of Turkey stage

Stage 5 of the 2025 Tour of Turkey was supposed to be played out on the roads between Marmaris and Aydın this Thursday afternoon. That's not how things actually transpired however, as adverse weather conditions forced a cancellation of the day's racing. Not all are completely convinced this was the right decision though.

“There were some spokespersons, and then one rider from each team discussed the situation," Uno-X Mobility sports director Christian Andersen explains to Feltet.dk about how the decision of cancelling the stage was reached. "The decision was made to cancel the stage. It’s unfortunate - we wanted to race - but sometimes it’s just not possible.”

Whilst Andersen admits conditions were far from ideal, he believes that when viewed in comparison to the prior day when wet weather made for some treacherous, slippery descents that troubled riders, there really wasn't enough extra danger to justify calling off stage 5.

“In general, I think racing should go ahead, but this decision came after yesterday, which was genuinely dangerous. That’s often how these things go - decisions are made in hindsight,” Andersen says. “Personally, I don’t think it should’ve been cancelled. But it’s always difficult when there are so many different factors in play. That’s just how it is sometimes.”

Despite disagreeing with the final decision though, Andersen can at least understand the rider's concerns. “Of course, the riders are concerned for their safety. This is their livelihood, and they’re afraid of crashing because the roads are so slick here,” the sports director concludes, noting how his team were keen to carry on regardless. “The riders want to race - that’s their job, and that’s why they do it. They’re out there trying to get results. So cancelling a stage means losing an opportunity. It’s not like the riders are simply relieved not to race.”