Alexander Efimkin gives Team Type 1 big boost with overall win
In a true photofinish sprint, Kenny Van Hummel (Skil-Shimano) beat André Greipel (Omega-Pharma Lotto) and Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre – ISD) on the final day in the Tour of Turkey. Tyler Farrar (Garmin – Cervélo) was fourth. Alexander Efimkin gave Team Type 1 – Sanofi Aventis the overall victory and a strong boost for the American team.
The sprint was a close one. “I thought I had won, ” Van Hummel explained after the stage, according to Radsport News. “But when Greipel celebrated, I was somewhat insecure.” It turned out that Greipel had prematurely raised his arms, with the photofinish showing van Hummel slightly ahead. Van Hummel was satisfied with the work of his mates. “The team put me in a perfect position for the sprint. I am really happy with this victory.”
Efimkin came home with the peloton and was awarded the same time. That gave him the overall victory in the week-long stage race. Efimkin was 1’13 ahead of Astana’s Andrey Zeits and 1’33 over Thibaut Pinot (Française des Jeux).
Efimkin praised his teammates for helping him achieve the general classification win. “We’re a strong team and every day in Turkey we got stronger. To have these gladiator monsters pulling for me and protecting the leader’s jersey has made me a very happy man, and I feel we have strong momentum for the next two months of racing,” said Aleksandr Efimkin.
General Manager Vassili Davidenko reminded everyone on the recent hardship for the team. “A few weeks ago at Coppi e Bartali all of our bikes were stolen. Everything. We lost wheels, we lost tools, we lost time trial positions built in to the framesets. But we took the right measures to build back up, and everybody on the team, riders, staff, management – all put in overtime to get back to where we were. Winning the Tour of Turkey this year is a great honor for us, and a great reflection of the program we have built,” said Davidenko.
Team Type 1 CEO and Founder Phil . is very proud of where the team stands today. “What started as a bet between two type 1 cyclists in American collegiate racing has turned into a global mission to inspire people with diabetes around the world. Aleksandr’s victory today helps us spread this message of hope, that diabetes can be managed and controlled, that a normal life can be lived, and that a dream can be achieved,” Southerland said.
The first break developed at kilometer eight, when Giairo Ermeti (Androni), Rob Goris (Willems), Timon Seubert (NetApp), Sergio Lagana (De Rosa), Ruben Martinez (Caja Rural), Manuel Ortega (Andalucia) and Ahmet Akdilek (Manisaspor Cycling Team) took off. They were quickly replaced by a move of seven that included Petacchi. But everything was back together for the first print, won by Eric Baumann (NetApp), ahead of Ronan Van Zandbeek (Skil) and Adrian Palomares (Andalucia Caja Granada).
At kilometer 80, the first break that had a substantial lead, developed. Kenny De Haes (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Jean-Pierre Drucker ( Veranda’s Willems-Accent), Cristian Benenati (De Rosa), Yann Huguet (Skil), Andi Bajc (Manisaspor) and Danail Andonov (Konya – Torku Seker Spor – Vivelo) had 1’32 after one of five finishing laps. Each lap measured 17 kilometers.
The maximum lead for the break was 1’43, but with three laps to go, the gap was reduced to 1’20. De Haes won the Turkish beauty sprint at km 127, ahead of Drucker and Bajc. With one lap or 17km to go, the gap was reduced to 30 seconds. The same three of the sprint also jumped off the front group with 14km to go. Drucker, Huguet, Bajc tried hard, but with 11km to go, the teams of the sprinters had it glued back together.