Baptiste Vadic conquers the opening stage of the 2026 Tour of Istanbul

Baptiste Vadic (TotalEnergies) has won the opening stage of the 2026 Tour of Istanbul. The French rider covered the course in 03:58:35, beating Alexandre Balmer (Solution Tech Nippo Rali) and Artëm Fofonov (XDS Astana Development Team) to the line, both classified with the same time as the winner.The raceIn the opening stage of the Turkish race, the peloton arrived together at the finish, with the top three riders closing on the same time. Four seconds behind the winner came Pierre Thierry (TotalEnergies), while Giovanni Lonardi (Team Polti VisitMalta) completed the top five ten seconds back.Stage result1. Baptiste Vadic (TotalEnergies) — 03:58:352. Alexandre Balmer (Solution Tech Nippo Rali) — s.t.3. Artëm Fofonov (XDS Astana Development Team) — s.t.4. Pierre Thierry (TotalEnergies) — +0:045. Giovanni Lonardi (Team Polti VisitMalta) — +0:10General classificationThanks to the time bonuses, Vadic is the first race leader with 03:58:25, ahead of Balmer by four seconds and Fofonov by six. For the TotalEnergies Frenchman, the leader's jersey represents the first goal achieved in this edition of the Tour of Istanbul.The race continues tomorrow with a new stage, with Vadic called upon to defend the lead he secured on the opening day.