Giovanni Lonardi claimed his second victory of the season and Team Polti VisitMalta’s seventh win of 2026 on Stage 2 of the Tour of Istanbul. After an opening stage in which the Italian sprinter finished fifth, behind the four riders who managed to stay clear, the team worked hard to make sure a second opportunity did not slip away.
Lonardi raised his arms in victory in Şile, where he finished third last year before going on to win Stage 2 of that edition. Mirco Maestri (8th) and Javier Serrano (11th) also finished among the best, rounding off a great collective performance from Team Polti VisitMalta. In addition, Lonardi also took the points jersey as the most consistent rider.
Francesco Gavazzi, Sports Director: “It was a hot and tougher stage than yesterday, despite the flat finish. The real racing started with 40 kilometres to go, with several attacks in which we were present with Javi and Adrián. With 12 kilometres remaining, on the final climb, both Pietrobon and Adrián did a great job to reduce the group.
At the finish, Javi and Mirco led Lona out for the victory. We finished yesterday a little disappointed, but today things went really well for us, also with a view to the general classification.”
