Kiwi cyclist Patrick Bevin has snatched the biggest victory of his career, clinching the Tour of Turkey general classification, after the final stage around Istanbul was abandonned, due to treacherous weather conditions.
After taking the lead with success on the penultimate day, Bevin, 31, faced the prospect of defending his 20-second advantage over Aussie Jay Vine through the final 141.5km stage, but racing lasted only 25km in pouring rain, before a major crash forced organisers to cancel the contest.
Riders completed a procession to the finish-line, with Bevin eventually crowned winner.
The Kiwi has come close to victory on previous occasions, taking out stages, and sprint or points classifications, but never quite fulfilling that GC promise on the world stage. He finished fourth on the 2018 Tour of Britain, while taking honours at minor tours of Tasmania and Korea.
"Everyone is a little bit disappointed about cancelling the stage," he said. "It would have been great to race through such a beautiful city, but it was an important decision to make for the safety of the riders.
"I am proud to be this year's winner of the Tour of Turkey."
