A high-speed tactical chess match on the shores of the Mediterranean concluded the Tour of Mersin, with Tomáš Přidal securing a hard-fought second place in the general classification.
The final stage of the Tour of Mersin took place on April 12, 2026, covering 120 km of coastal roads around Mersin. Under clear skies and ideal racing conditions, the peloton averaged a blistering 48 km/h. Director Sportif Dejan Percic described the day as chaotic: the team initially sought to send a breakaway to sweep up time bonuses, but the Turkish teams neutralised every attempt. The battle for the yellow jersey came down to intermediate sprints. Serdar Anıl Depe (Spor Toto Cycling Team) gained three seconds in the second sprint, while Přidal clawed back a one-second lead in the third. However, after Depe took further bonuses in the final intermediate, the two finished on the same overall time. Mustafa Tarakcı (Konya Büyükşehir Belediye Spor) won the stage in a mass sprint, and as Depe finished ahead of Přidal on the day, he claimed the overall victory.
Michal’s feelings on the final day
The team worked really well here and everyone did their job nicely. I am happy with how the team worked and how we secured two victories. Today we were a bit disappointed because all the Turkish riders were going against us together, and they didn’t race fairly. I felt like they even wanted to cause us to crash a few times… And I’m still not a hundred percent sure if he (Serdar Anıl Depe, eventual GC winner) really gained that one second in the third sprint, where he eventually overtook Tomas in the GC.
I have the feeling that the race director just really wanted a Turkish rider to win this race and that they would do anything for that. But now it doesn’t matter. Let’s focus on European races.
Personally, I am not that happy with my own performance; I was still trying to find my rhythm in the third stage and perform at the level I wanted. The positive side was the weather, which was really good, but the racing itself is different from Europe, and I still prefer the countryside back home over anything else.
Belgrade:Banja Luka is the next race for me, and then I should go to the Tour de Hongrie, which is the first big race where I want to be in top shape. I am looking forward to it.
Tomas’s reflections on the GC battle
I’m happy with the team and how we worked together through the whole race. To be honest, yesterday was the important stage for us. At the end of the day, this is still just a race in Turkey and maybe it is less important in the grand scheme of things, especially compared to the European scene. So no, I’m not really disappointed. The real races for me are coming now: the Tour of Hellas and the Tour de Hongrie. I’m looking forward to those!
Photo: Ozan Yavuz / https://www.instagram.com/ozanyavuzphoto/
