Team dsm-firmenich PostNL win Tour of Türkiye GC title with Frank van den Broek

Team dsm-firmenich PostNL capped off an incredible week of racing at the Tour of Türkiye on Sunday where they secured the GC title with Frank van den Broek.

Taking five exceptional stage wins throughout the race, conquering both the sprints and the mountains, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL headed to Istanbul on Sunday morning with the joint goals of protecting Van den Broek’s GC lead but also to play their cards for the stage once again. However, heavy and continuous rain from the early hours of the morning onwards saw wet and slippery roads in the centre of Istanbul, and the organisers ultimately decided to neutralise the stage for the safety of the peloton. That meant the bunch rolled it into the centre of the city behind the lead race car, completing one local lap, before Van den Broek was able to celebrate a brilliant first GC win with Team dsm-firmenich PostNL.

An elated Van den Broek recalled: “This week has been a dream. We started off on a high note with Fabio’s stage win on the opening day, then we took some learnings from stages two and three, and then Tobi started winning! On the mountain top finish day the boys supported me really well. I surprised myself by taking the win there and the lead in GC with it. We then focused on keeping the jersey and the extra sprint chances after that. It was a bit of shame that it rained so much today, but for the rider’s safety it was a good decision to neutralise the race I think. I’m very happy to take the GC win with the team and it has given me a lot of confidence for the races to come.”

Team dsm-firmenich PostNL coach Roy Curvers concluded: “After a really fruitful week in Türkiye for us we can conclude that the processes and way we are working is paying off. On the sprint side of things we really made steps in how we are working together in the deep finals of stages and we see that the group is growing closer and closer together. While with Frank we had the plan to support him as well as possible, with a view towards the GC but without pressure or high expectations, so he could just learn what it is like to ride as GC leader. So for that to finally end up in a stage and GC win is a fantastic thing. In general, it was also a week where we really showed our DNA as a group; with real teamwork leading to successes, making good plans as a unit, and with full support that gave our young talents the chance to explore their possibilities and abilities. We can all be proud of our week here.”