The Tour of Turkey is a race that over the years has managed to consolidate its status within the ProSeries calendar. The quality of the organization and the logistical support provided to the teams, combined with the choice of routes, the almost always pleasant climate, and the standard of hotels, has allowed the race to receive widespread acclaim, becoming a welcome appointment deliberately selected by an increasingly large number of teams and riders.

However, the organizers, having consolidated this standard and recorded excellent feedback, absolutely do not want to rest on their laurels and are therefore ready to raise their ambitions by attempting to take another step forward, an intention that essentially translates into entering the World Tour calendar.

The mission is not simple, but those who work in the race organization are convinced that all the elements and requirements to persuade the UCI to promote the event to the top category are in place, and therefore in the coming years an attempt will certainly be made.

This idea was confirmed by the two race directors Mutlu Erçevik and Vladimiros Petsas who, launching the 61st edition (described as "perhaps the most difficult of all due to the two Hors Catégorie climbs included in the route"), did not hide their desire to take the event to another level.

"The race has everything it takes to be an event of that caliber, we've already demonstrated this in the past, and both teams and riders have always been satisfied with the organizational level they found and our hospitality. That's why we aim to become World Tour" said an optimistic Erçevik.

"I also believe that the Tour of Turkey can easily aspire to enter the World Tour calendar: The race can count on the work of many people and on practically unlimited infrastructure" Petsas reiterated before discussing the timeline for this promotion.

"Already next year? I don't think this upgrade can materialize in the short term, but given the way this great family is growing the event through the experience gained edition after edition, I believe it could become reality in a few years. That is my hope" the Greek continued, noting that while remaining a difficult operation, the race could also be held at another time of year given the overlap and proximity of other major events.

"It's really difficult to identify what the right calendar position might be. Perhaps September could be a better window, close to the World Championships. We've organized it more or less in that slot on 2-3 occasions in the past and it went well, but regaining that position doesn't depend on us but rather on the government which, with various events happening simultaneously in that period and many facilities already occupied, would need to coordinate with the Ministry of Sport to decide how to proceed".

Several pieces, therefore, must fall into place before the big leap can be made, but in the meantime the organizers of the Tour of Turkey can still enjoy another edition put together with precision and seriousness to offer an even greater spectacle.

"I'm confident that this edition will be better than last year's because every year we learn from our mistakes and correct the issues we encounter, and this is making us grow more and more" Petsas stated confidently. "In 2025 we had some problems in one stage because it was raining and the riders thought the road was slippery, but in the end it wasn't: we, in any case, couldn't force them to race. This year, we might have some rain in one or two stages, but I don't think there will be dangerous situations".

In this context, it will be interesting to see whether, alongside the most established international professionals, some local riders will also manage to stand out by achieving significant results. In this regard, Erçevik had no doubts.

"We have two very talented riders and I'm referring to Ramazan Yılmaz and Mustafa Tavakçı, both also strong on the track: Ramazan in particular, two years ago, finished second at the European Junior Championships in the scratch race and third in the points race. From one of them I expect a stage victory in this edition" concluded the Turkish race director decisively, certainly pleased to have seen Yılmaz himself finish fourth in the first stage with the finish in Selçuk.