Tour of Turkey: Picnic PostNL take first win of 2026 as Casper van Uden powers to sprint victory on stage 5

Casper van Uden secured Picnic PostNL’s first victory of the 2026 season by winning stage 5 of the Tour of Turkey in a sprint finish in Kemer. The Dutch rider emerged as the fastest from a reduced peloton after the 180.7km stage, benefiting from his team’s well-timed lead-out in the final kilometre. Van Uden outpaced Davide Ballerini of XDS Astana, who had launched a long sprint but faded before the line, while Marcin Budziński and Nikita Tsvetkov completed the podium. The stage featured a tactical battle with several breakaway attempts, but none managed to establish a decisive gap until halfway through the race. A group of ten riders formed a breakaway around the midpoint, including notable names such as Lev Gonov and Mark Stewart, but the peloton, led by race leader Iván Sosa’s Equipo Kern Pharma, gradually reeled them in. Sosa himself struggled briefly on the climbs but managed to rejoin the main group and maintain his overall lead. Van Uden reflected on his win as a personal breakthrough after a challenging start to the season marked by crashes and cautious racing. He credited his team’s support and expressed satisfaction in repaying their confidence with a victory. “It just feels really good to give back,” he said, highlighting the collective effort behind his success. In the general classification, Iván Sosa retained the leader’s jersey with a 13-second advantage over Sebastian Berwick, while Nicolas Breuillard sits third. With three stages remaining, the race remains open, but Sosa’s consistent performance and the strong control exerted by his team suggest he is well placed to defend his position. The stage win for Picnic PostNL also signals their growing competitiveness in the early season.