Aidis Kruopis (Orica-GreenEdge) won stage 2 at the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey on Monday, a day marred by a massive crash in the final 500 meters that affected most of the riders in the field.
With the peloton steaming ahead at full speed as the sprint finish was being set up, it appeared that Mark Renshaw (Blanco) touched the wheel of the rider in front of him at the front left of the pack. A full-on, chain-reaction pileup ensued, with the entire road being blocked by a mass of tangled bikes and riders.
A handful of riders were ahead of the incident and were able to keep sprinting to the finish line. Taking second was Marco Coledan (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox), while André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) was third in the 150-kilometer stage.
Greipel now has the overall race lead, with Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) in second and Kruopis in third. All three have the same time.
The race resumes Tuesday with the 154km stage 3.