Petacchi, Chicchi to feature in Presidential Tour of Turkey

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As the Spring Classics wind down, it's time for the peloton's sprinters to head to flatter ground, and the Presidential Tour of Turkey is the next big test for the fast men. The race will see the return of Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD), who was hit by a flu before Milan-San Remo and has been on the sidelines since.

"I'm happy to come back to racing, especially in a competition that usually gives me satisfaction," Petacchi said in a team press release. "First of all, it will be necessary to improve the feeling with the race pace, then I'll focus my attention of trying to be competitive in the sprints. The teammates are all skillful in supporting me, so I think we'll be able to try to get good results".

Omega Pharma-Quickstep director Wilfried Peeters is heading to the race with ace sprinter Francesco Chicchi, winner of two stages of the Tour de San Luis, a stage of the Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen, the Nokere Koerse and the Handzame Classic so far this season, as well as Andrew Fenn, who won two stages in the Trofeo Mallorca.

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"It's a good race to launch the second part of the season," said Peeters. "The weather is normally good, and the stages not so long. The stages are suited for our riders who can try and make a breakaway, or for riders like Fenn and Chicchi who can try and win a sprint. We want to try and win a stage."

Lampre for Tour of Turkey: Alessandro Petacchi, Vitaly Buts, Massimo Graziato, Denys Kostyuk, Dmytro Krivtsov, Oleksandr Kvachuk, Oleksandr Sheydyk and Davide Viganò.

Omega Pharma-Quickstep for Tour of Turkey: Marco Bandiera, Francesco Chicchi, Andrew Fenn, Michal Golas, Iljo Keisse, Nikolas, Frantisek Rabon, Matteo Trentin.