A second Italian victory at the Tour of Turkey 2026. With a masterfully prepared sprint by the entire XDS Astana team, Davide Ballerini has indeed conquered the seventh stage with start and finish in Antalya, surpassing in the final sprint Marceli Boguslawski (ATT Investments) and Tom Crabbe (Flanders Baloise), opponents who could do nothing against the powerful acceleration of the thirty-one-year-old from Cantù who today returned to celebrate for the first time since the Coppa Bernocchi 2022.

THE RACE

Before the start, considering the weather forecasts and the danger of the finish in case of rain, the jury decides to eliminate the time bonuses at the intermediate sprints and at the finish and to neutralize the times for the general classification at 3 kilometers from the finish in case of a dry finish or at -15 km in case of a wet finish. Aware of these decisions, the riders nevertheless take the start with a rather combative spirit since in the very first kilometers, apart unfortunately from some crashes, there are certainly no shortage of attacks to launch into the day's breakaway.

Attempting the breakaway are in particular Antonio Polga (Team Novo Nordisk), Mehmet Kanat (Muğla Büyükşehir Belediyesi Spor Kulübü), Matteo Turconi (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber), Filippo Ridolfo (Team Novo Nordisk), Michał Pomorski (ATT Investments) and Kaan Soylu Ozkalbim (Spor Toto Cycling Team) but among these the most convinced are the latter three who, insisting and then being joined by Byron Munton (Modern Adventure Pro Cycling), Mustafa Tarakcı (Konya Büyükşehir Belediye Spor) and the always aggressive Jonah Killy (Tarteletto - Isorex), eventually obtain the green light from the peloton.

The sextet thus reaches the "Treasures of Turkey" intermediate sprint after which Tarakcı (having passed everyone) opts to abandon the action, leaving five riders at the front to conduct operations with just over a minute and a half on the chasers. A few kilometers before the second intermediate sprint, however, the other members of the breakaway are also brought back into line, but precisely at this sprint, won by Piotr Pekala, Talha Tektaş (Muğla Büyükşehir Belediyesi Spor Kulübü), Axandre Van Petegem (Tarteletto - Isorex), Doğukan Arikan (Spor Toto Cycling Team) and the Polish rider from ATT Investments attack again.

The peloton also does not grant them much space (1'40" the maximum advantage) and this means that, entering the final 50 kilometers when Cofidis, Flanders Baloise and Alpecin-Premier Tech take up the pace at the front, their fate appears sealed. Confirmation arrives promptly at -3 km when, after only Orkem and Pekala remain to fuel the attempt, the regrouping becomes reality along with the predictable final sprint which, set up brilliantly and precisely by XDS Astana, sees Ballerini return to victory after more than three years of drought.

To be updated.

FINISHING ORDER

1. Davide Ballerini (ITA/XDS Astana) - 3:19:41

2. Marceli Boguslawski (POL/ATT Investments) - s.t.

3. Tom Crabbe (BEL/Flanders-Baloise) - s.t.

4. Mustafa Tarakci (TUR/Konya Büyükşehir Belediye Spor) - s.t.

5. Fernando Gaviria (COL/Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) - s.t.

6. Stefano Oldani (ITA/Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) - s.t.

7. Riley Pickrell (CAN/Modern Adventure) - s.t.

8. Tommaso Nencini (ITA/Solution Tech NIPPO Rali) - s.t.

9. Sean Flynn (GBR/Picnic PostNL) - s.t.

10. Marco Manenti (ITA/Bardiani CSF 7Saber) - s.t.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Sebastian Berwick (AUS/Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) - 21:03:03

2. Iván Ramiro Sosa (COL/Equipo Kern Pharma) at 0:05

3. Kamiel Bonneu (BEL/Solution Tech NIPPO Rali) at 0:59

4. Jordan Jegat (FRA/TotalEnergies) at 1:05

5. Nicolas Breuillard (FRA/TotalEnergies) at 1:14

6. Alessandro Fancellu (ITA/MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort) at 1:20

7. Mikel Bizkarra (SPA/Euskaltel-Euskadi) at 1:47

8. Henok Mulubrhan (ERI/XDS Astana) at 1:53

9. Ibón Ruiz (SPA/Equipo Kern Pharma) at 2:17

10. José Félix Parra (SPA/Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) at 2:37

OTHER CLASSIFICATIONS

Points Classification: Davide Ballerini (ITA/XDS Astana)

Mountain Classification: Sebastian Berwick (AUS/Caja Rural-Seguros RGA)

Team Classification: XDS Astana (KAZ)