The Blue Mosque calls CSF again

By Jean-François Quenet in Istanbul

Following the first win of his career at the Hell of Mergelland in Holland one week ago, CSF's Mauro Finetto confirmed that he's in excellent condition this spring. He easily won the uphill sprint of the leading group that concluded stage 1 of the Presidential Tour of Turkey in front of the Blue Mosque of Istanbul.

Initially, Finetto wasn't very keen to come to Turkey, his directeur sportif Roberto Reverberi revealed after the stage, but the 24-year-old from Tregnago near Verona realised how much more suitable the course of the Turkish tour was for him, rather than the hilly one of the Tour of Trentino. "I'm aware that CSF was quite successful last year for their first participation at the Tour of Turkey," Finetto said of his teammates who collected no fewer than four stage wins out of eight one year ago. "We've started well again," he smiled.

"I'm feeling well since the Three Days of De Panne," he continued. "In Belgium we have interestingly become used to riding on the cobblestones, which has been helpful here on the circuit of Istanbul. I felt at my ease from the start. In the finale I managed to take the command, but 90% of the merit for this victory goes to my team. I only had to work for the last 200 metres."

Continue to the full results, report and photos.