Ewan emerges victorious in Gallipoli stage at Tour of Turkey

Caleb Ewan took home Stage 6 honours at the Tour of Turkey after some impressive teamwork from Lotto Soudal helped seal a special day on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) celebrates after winning Stage 6 at Tour of Turkey Source: Getty Images

Lotto Soudal took control with 1.5 kilometres remaining in the stage and led Ewan through the twisting roads before the Australian launched an uncontested sprint to the finish.

Ewan's superb protection allowed his subsequent burst to materialise in the final 100 metres - far too late for any of his rivals to reel in, leaving Jasper Philipsen to settle for second.

The Alpecin-Fenix rider had come from behind to finish runner-up, where he was closely followed by Danny van Poppel of Bora-Hansgrohe, and Israel-Premier Tech's Pat Bevin.

Bevin remains 11 seconds behind overall leader Eduardo Sepulveda (Drone Hopper-Androni) as a result, with Australia's Jay Vine (Alpecin-Fenix) a further 14 seconds adrift in third.

The 201.5-kilometre stage saw the peloton tackle the hills overlooking the Aegean Sea, and the fight for the intermediate sprints kept the pack close for much of the contest.

Ewan struggled to complete the final climb of the Turkish course in 2019, but on this occasion, the 27-year-old was well-equipped to reward the fine work of his teammates and take first place on the podium, not far from the hilltop monument where so many Anzac soldiers lost their lives during World War I.

"This is a really important part of Australian history," Ewan said after the race.

"It's an honour to race around this area. I'm happy I could finish it off and an Australian winning here is special."

"I'm definitely a stronger rider than I was three years ago," he added. "It was an opportunity I really wanted to take.

"It was a hard finale and I've become better at climbing. My team did an amazing job too. I'm proud of them and I'm happy to finish off their work.

"I didn't know who was on my wheel in the sprint, I knew that Pat Bevin was going to be close. 

"But it was a block headwind and uphill, so I really didn't want to go too early and die. I knew the guys could come from behind.

"I timed it well and put my power down all the way to the line."