Pello Bilbao confirmed the excellent form he showed at the recent Vuelta a Castilla y Leon by completed a marvelous Caja Rural showing by winning the mountainous second stage of the Tour of Turkey. After his team had split the field to pieces and placed six of their seven riders in the 15-rider lead group, the Spaniard soloed clear to take the victory before his teammate Jose Goncalves sprinted to a 1-2 for the Spanish team by holding of Mauro Finetto (Uniero). Przemyslaw Niemiec (Lampre-Merida) did well to take fourth and retain the overall lead.

We have gathered several reactions.

Pello Bilbao: The win could have been taken by anyone in the team

Caja Rural - Seguros RGA put on a big show on Monday’s stage 2 of Tour of Turkey, completely blowing apart the peloton on the last 40 km. As the pack started climbing towards the finishing line for the penultimate time, all seven riders from the team went to the front and set a pace so high that only a few other riders managed to follow. This later created a select front group of only15 riders, in which Caja Rural - Seguros RGA was heavily represented with almost the entire team.
 
Due to impeccable teamwork, the gaps to those left behind kept on growing. When the front group took on the final ascent, the first chase group was over one minute down. With 6 km left to go, Caja Rural - Seguros RGA’s Ricardo Vilela attacked, forcing the other teams to work. The Portuguese rider stayed alone in front for a few kilometers before Pello Bilbao counterattacked and went clear on the final 2 km. Nobody could follow the 26 years old Spaniard who soloed away to take his first win of the season. In the chase group behind, José Gonçalves had no problems winning the sprint for second place, making it 1-2 for Caja Rural - Seguros RGA. In fact, the team had no less than four riders in top10 today.
 
In the general classification, Bilbao moves up to second overall, just six seconds behind race leader Przemyslaw Niemiec (Lampre-Merida). Gonçalves sits third, while David Arroyo (6), Ricardo Vilela (7) and Jaime Rosón (8) make it a total of five riders in top10 overall for the team. Tomorrow, Gonçalves will wear the points jersey while Lluis Mas can enjoy another day in the white jersey for leading the Turkish Beauties sprint classification. Caja Rural - Seguros RGA top the team classification.
 
Pello Bilbao said: “We knew that we had a great opportunity today and the team did an excellent job, dominating the stage with all the riders in the front group. At the end, I won the stage but it could have been anyone from the team today. Everybody did a perfect job.

”I didn’t plan to attack that far out but I saw an opportunity and I went for it. Also, I knew that if they caught me, José [Gonçalves] would be there to sprint. Tomorrow could be a stage for him as well. We will try to help him but also save energy for the remaining part of the race.

”Having done the Vuelta al Pais Vasco at WorldTour level and ridden so well at the Vuelta Castilla y Leon, where only Alejandro [Valverde] and Movistar could beat us, we knew we were coming to Turkey with the possibility to perform. We can even aim higher [than two stage wins by himself and Lluis Mas won last year]. It was a great opportunity for me today and the way we rode as a team with six of us in the 15-man front group, even though it wasn’t a pre-race strategy to do that, the stage winner could have been David Arroyo or another team-mate.

"I said before coming here that I was really motivated, this is a special race for me and for the team. Last year we did a great job and we wanted to do the same thing this year. We came here to fight for the overall, although we needed to go day by day and to do a goood job today because it was a great opportunity for me, after Elmali, which may be too hard, I don't know.

“The team did a really great job today, I could be alone in the last 2 km and maybe, if it wasn't me, Arroyo or another team mate could have been in my place. One of the team mates had to go to the front to put the leader in a complicated situation to force Lampre to work, and it went fantastically. I want to thank all the team. This is for all the team.
 

"Last year at Elmali, I faced a difficult situation because I think, 50 or 60 km from the finish, there were crosswinds and the group was going really, really fast, and in the worse moment I had a puncture and I couldn't do anything to get back into the group, so that day I had to say goodbye to the overall, and I started thinking of the Selkuk stage, and I did a good job there. Maybe If I had been fighting for the overall I wouldn't have been able to win there.
 

"One year on, I see that the leader is in a very good moment, he's preparing the Giro so we have to use a team strategy because maybe one by one we can't do the best work. We have to use the team to go for victory.
 

"In the first two laps we had an opportunity to see the landscape. It is a really beautiful place. I came to Istanbul three years ago, and I wanted to come here, so today was a great opportunity to see Cappadocia. It is a really interesting and different landscape. You can't see in many places like it in the world." 
 

Jose Goncalves: We have several possibilites in the GC

Second placed José Gonçalves (Caja Rural – Seguros RGA) saif: “Today was one of the hardest stages of the TUR. We knew that we had to increase the rhythm in order to break the main group. Our objective was to win the stage, knowing that we also had several possibilities on GC, mainly with Pello. We’ll see day by day but we’re racing well so far.”
 

Lluis Mas: This was the perfect scenario for Caja Rural
Beauties of Turkey leader Lluis Mas (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) said: “I think we had a very good luck today. It was a strange stage. Arriving here in Cappadocia, most of the teams looked like taking it easy, racing on a relaxed mode. I personally also felt a bit flat but our coach told us to make the race hard with 40km to go. After we passed the finishing line one lap before the end, we split the group in the crosswinds. In the final ascent, we got Ricardo Vilela to attack to make the leader’s life difficult and that led to a counter attack by Pello Bilbao. It’s perfect because out of the six of us in the front group, our GC rider eventually wins the stage.”

 
Sports director, Eugenio Goikoetxea added: “The team was outstanding today. Our main goal was to win the stage and we accomplished that. Now, we are in a good position for the general classification - both individually and for the teams. There are still many days left to go and we are ready to fight”.
 
On Tuesday, Tour of Turkey continues with a stage for the sprinters. The last kilometer is slightly uphill. After finishing second two days in a row, Gonçalves may break the spell in Konya and cross the line first.

Mauro Finetto after third place in Turkey: Caja Rural deserved the win

Third placed Mauro Finetto (Unieuro Wilier) said: "It’s always good to make the podium even though it would have been better to win but after all the work they’ve done, Caja Rural deserved to win. They have made the decision. [Team-mate Giovanni] Carboni helped to stay in the group when I was in difficulty with 3km to go. Then I sprinted for second place and Gonçalves passed me. It was a day of suffering with the wind and strange feelings in the peloton after travelling last night.”
 

Przemyslaw Niemiec after successful jersey defence: I owe Koshevoy a beer

Race leader Przemysław Niemiec (Lampre – Merida) said: "It was hard today, because of Caja Rural on the final lap. They were frightening. They caused some damage. There were 14 or 15 riders in the group and 6 of them were from Caja Rural. At that point, I decided to work with them. If I tried to stay behind in safety, I ran the risk of losing my place in the echelons because the wind was very strong.

”Today my team was good. Fortunately, a group of 3 got away early and stayed away until the final lap, when Caja Rural set fire to the race. I knew that there'd be attacks from them on the final lap. It was hard to cover them all. I stayed on the wheels and my team mate Koshevoy, closed down the first few attacks then pulled for me until 500m, when I sprinted for 2nd place. 

“I've achieved the goal I started the stage with this morning. I wanted to keep the jersey, and I have. For me, it is important: the last time I was in a race leader was in 2009, at the Route du Sud in France, which I won. So it's a great pleasure to lead a race after seven years.

”It would have been much better if I'd still had Petilli on the final kilometres, but he dropped out of the group in the wind. Koshevoy was really good today to close down so many moves. I have to thank him today, especially, he rode very well. Tonight I'll buy him a beer."

It was tough day for Feng who withdrew during the stage: the Taiwanese ridersin the first half of the race to the service of his captain, but soon had to give the up due to flu symptoms that had plagued him in last week.

"We are pleased to have defended the jersey in a very complicated stage with a hard course and strong wind," explained sports diretor Bruno Vicino. "It was great work by Koshevoy in the final for Niemiec, unfortunately Ilia was the only there after Petilli had lost contact with the lead group on the previous climb because of a gap in the wind.

"With six riders, Caja Rural was obviously favored, but we were able to control the situation well and to reach the goal of not losing sight of any of the Spanish riders."

Remy Di Gregorio: Caja Rural are superior in the Tour of Turkey

King of the Mountains Rémy Di Gregorio (Delko Marseille Provence KTM) said: “When I realized the [3-man] breakaway was caught, I went for the KOM price because the opportunity was there but my main focus was on winning the stage. However, with six riders from Caja Rural out of fifteen in the front group, it was a difficult task. As a team, they’re superior in this race. I still contributed to their work because of the crosswinds. I attacked with 3km to go but it didn’t work out. The red jersey is good for my team though.”

Bad luck for strong Sylwester Szmyd in Turkish mountains

Things looked very optimistically for Sylwester Szmyd on Stage 2 of Tour of Turkey. He was riding in the first 15-rider group, when he crashed with 16km to go. The injuries affected his performance in the finale and he wasn’t able to fight for the top places.

The pace picked up drastically on the climb and the echelons were being formed. Caja Rural – Seguros RGA did most of the work up front, reducing the bunch to only 35 riders. Among them there were Sylwester Szmyd and Davide Rebellin, who was banged up after a stage 1 crash, but was ready to fight.

The Spanish squad continued pushing the pace and shattered the field to only 15 riders. From the CCC Sprandi Polkowice duo, only Szmyd was able to survive that selection as the Italian fell behind.

The Polish climber looked very comfortable in the group, especially when the road was going uphill. Unfortunately bad luck hit the orange team again. While climbing, strong wind caused a few riders to turn unexpectedly on the other side of the road. Szmyd didn’t respond quickly enough, hit the rider in front of him, fell down and lost contact with the group. He was able to find his way back to the main pack on the descent, but the crash had an impact. He bruised his collarbone and knee badly.

Sylwester Szmyd finished in 12th place, 29 seconds back. The second best team’s finisher, Rebellin arrived 2:22 behind, in a small group.

André Greipel getting better on difficult day for Lotto Soudal in Turkey

For Lotto Soudal, Stig Broeckx and Adam Hansen were attentively in the first group when the peloton slit but a few moments later they were dropped. A front group of fifteen riders, among them six riders of Caja Rural, managed to remain in front despite the work of Greg Henderson and Adam Hansen in the chasing group.

André Greipel had no troubles with his calf during the race. He’ll have another treatment this evening.

Verva-ActiveJET climber loses out in Turkish crosswind

Verva-ActiveJET had Karel Hnik in the chase group and he ultimately finished 16th.

“During the attack from the Caja Rural riders, Iwas a little behind. Crosswind made ​​it difficult to ride and one of the riders let the wheel go by which a large group broke clear. I was in the second part. Later we tried to chase, but the riders of Caja Rural set a strong pace. I lacked a bit but we still have six days to go,” said Hnik.