Rory Townsend has taken 5th on a stage of the Tour of Antalya (2.1) in Turkey; a solid start to the new campaign after a breakthrough season in 2019.
Townsend (25) is riding for Canyon dhb p/b Soreen again in 2020, his fourth year with the UK Continental team in its various guises.
The Irish international, who was selected for the elite Europeans and Worlds last season, was 21st in the bunch sprint that decided the opening stage of the Turkish race on Thursday.
Yesterday after battling through a number of climbs Townsend featured at the pointy end of the action at the conclusion of the 165.3km stage from Kemer to Antalya.
While he got slightly boxed in in the sprint he came away with 5th place; the stage win going to Giovanni Lonardi (Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè).
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Townsend lost time on today's stage 3, which featured an uphill finish. He placed 70th on the stage, some 2:51 down on winner Riccardo Zoidl (Felbermayr-Simplon Wels) after 101.6km to Termessos.
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Townsend's team mate Maximilian Stedman was 3rd today, just two seconds down on the winner, and he took the race lead for his efforts.
Tomorrow's final stage takes the riders 136.8km from Side to Antalya. While it is flat and should suit Townsend, he is also likely to be called into team duties to help protect the yellow jersey.
Townsend had a very good season last year; winning the sprints classification in the Tour of Britain and two stages in the Tour of Fuzhou in China.
He was 3rd in the Classic Loire Atlantique (1.1) in France in March and claimed 3rd in the Rutland-Melton Cicle Classic (1.2) in Britain in April.
In Belgium in June he finished 2nd in Memorial Philippe
Van Coningsloo (1.2) and was 3rd in Heylen Vastgoed Heistse Pijl (1.1) before
finishing 4th in the road race at the National Championships in Derry.
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