Dietsch wins in Turkey

Image 1 of 9

Thomas Dietsch sprinted to victory at the end of the Manavgat marathon. The Frenchman was invited to the race on Easter Sunday on the Turkish Riviera just one week after finishing the Cape Epic.

Situated at the foot of the Taurus Mountains, Manavgat hosted a round of the UCI marathon World Cup in 2008. This year's 92km race featured 2153m of climbing, spread over two major mountains.

"I have very fond memories of Manavgat," said Dietsch, thinking of winning in 2008. "How it will work out for me today, I can't say yet," he said before the race. "I was quite tired after the Cape Epic, but I want to pick up where Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm left off in South Africa, with a victory for Team Bulls."

The Frenchman went on to win the race, but it wasn't easy for him. Dietsch was the member of a five-racer lead group from early in the race. All the other members of the group were Vaude-Simplon teammates, leaving Dietsch outnumbered.

With a fast pace up the mountain, Dietsch worked against odds in an attempt to escape, but the group stayed together. He wasn't looking forward to a sprint finish against teammates on a long straight. Martin Kiechle und Markus Kaufmann started the sprint, but Dietsch shot around the two to get his first win of 2010.

"It was a tough race. Four against one was, in particular, a heavy challenge," said Dietsch. "I always tried to make the group smaller, but I didn't have the legs to do so. I did not expect victory. I thought that at the end, in a sprint, it would never work out.

"The first win is in the season is always something special!" said a happy Dietsch.

Full Results