Simon Dehairs is truly happy, winner of the first stage of the Tour of Turkey: "Having Jonas Rickaert as a lead-out, like Jasper has had in many winning races, certainly played an important role today. He and Tibor Del Grosso did an extraordinary job to keep me at the front and I just had to finish. I had good legs to succeed today. I'm super happy about this first victory as a professional. Last year I made a big step forward, I felt a lot of confidence from the team. They believed in me as a sprinter and I'm happy to repay them with a victory. Last year I was third on the same finish line. I really like this race. The weather is always nice, we stay in beautiful hotels, the organization is good, I enjoy racing here in Turkey. Sometimes the climbs are a bit tough for me, but winning today is fantastic. I'm not sure what Del Grosso can do in the general classification, but on more difficult terrain today, in smaller groups, he can be quite fast and I hope to help him win a stage like he did for me. I hope to do well in stages 7 and 8, the others will probably be too difficult for me".

Matteo Malucelli, second place, stated: "There was a crash in the last corner. I was in a good position when two Alpecin-Deceuninck riders anticipated the sprint 350 meters from the finish. I tried to follow the winner's wheel and overtake him in the finale. He resisted well. Their train did an exceptional job, they were very good. Hats off to them, I tried to pass them but couldn't make it. It was a tight victory, I'll try again".

Jules Hesters, third place, explains: "I was very consistent in the first part of the season, but never made the podium, never in the top 10, so it's a good start for me in the second part of the season here in Turkey. My team and I were very confident today, we stayed at the front of the group all day. They did a perfect job keeping me there. The sprint result was my merit, but I couldn't have done it without the team. It's very nice that the organizers call the first 3 riders on stage, I think it's also nice for the public to see the complete podium, it shows appreciation for the riders and fans".