ISTANBUL: The 43-year-old Italian Davide Rebellin extended his overall lead in the Tour of Turkey on Thursday, when he sneaked into a bunch sprint finish in the fifth stage won by Sacha Modolo.
Modolo, of Lampre, beat home Spain's Carlos Cuesta Barbero and Australian Jay McCarthy as well as seven other riders who got away from the main pack at the end of the 160km ride between Mugla and Pamukkale, a World Heritage Site celebrated for dramatic cliffside bathing springs.
But Rebellin, who in 2004 was the first rider to sweep the Ardennes Classics treble, extended his lead over Lampre's Croatian rider Kristijan Durasek from 7sec to 22sec in the overall.
Wednesday's stage winner, the German sprint ace André Greipel, did not start the stage saying he would now go and better prepare for the Giro d'Italia which starts on May 9 at San Remo.
Stage 5
1. Sacha Modolo (ITA/LAM), 4h 06min 19sec, 2. Carlos Cuesta Barbero (ESP/CJR) s.t., 3. Jay McCarthy (AUS/TCS) s.t, 4. Michal Kolar (SLO/TCS) s.t, 5. Manuel Belletti (Ita/STH) s.t.
Overall
1. Davide Rebellin (ITA/CCC) 19hr 42min 08sec, 2. Kristijan Durasek (CRO/LAM) at 22sec, 3. Eduardo Sepulveda (ARG/BSE) 54sec, Jay McCarthy (AUS/TCS) 1min 20sec, 5. Serge Pauwels (BEL/MTN) 1min 38sec.
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