Istanbul, Saturday 6 October 2018 – Iljo Keisse rarely gets opportunities to make the escape group. "95% of the time I am trying to bring back the breakaway to set up the sprinters."

A rare chance came on 28 April 2012, in the TUR stage from Kuşadası to İzmir. 

'It was a special day. I got in the breakaway and I felt like I was maybe the strongest and in the end I went solo for the last 7/8km and I crashed in the last corner!'

With a shipped chain to reposition, and the world's fastest sprinters bearing down on him, Iljo seemed to have failed in his bid for the stage win. But, with icey calm, he fixed his bike, remounted, and accelerated.  As his pursuers came closer and closer, It looked like a sequence from a nightmare. But Keisse kept his cool and held off the chase.

'In the end I won with about 20-25 metres between me and the chasing pack that was coming. I stood there with (Marcel) Kittel and (Alessandro) Petacchi aside of me on the podium and it was a really special moment.' I remember it like it was yesterday.'

(Click through for Hi Res. Photo credit: Credits: Sigfrid Eggers/Quick-Step Floors)

It was perhaps the most memorable stage win in TUR history, a once-in-a-lifetime event.

'I could never repeat something like that. I don't really win races. Sometimes I have, but that one was really special because it came after a really difficult period in my career but also my life.'

The win served as a template for his breakaway stage win in Milan in the final stage of the 2015 Giro d'Italia. Although these are memories he cherishes, he doesn't regard himself as a breakaway specialist. His job is to support the successful winning sprint train that is Quick-Step Floors.

"There's not too many chances for me to win but sometimes just that 5% of the time if I have a chance to win, I'll try. Especially now as I'm getting a little bit older and it's getting a bit more difficult.

"But when I have had the chance in the past, like in Turkey and the Giro, most the time I have won. When it comes to the start of the race I'm not 100% sure what chances I will have and that's why I choose to be a domestique. Most the time it's easy to get in the breakaway but not when I have a Quick-Step jersey on! If I was riding for someone else I would be a specialist I am sure!'

The Quick-Step Floors team have sent a strong looking team to this year's TUR and will be strong favourites on each of the highly anticipated sprint finishes of this year's race. Their team features two highly regarded sprinters in the Colombian duo of Fernando Gaviria and Alvaro Hodeg.

"It depends a bit on what happens in the race how we play it because Fernando had some trouble after the Tour and he wasn't in the best shape going in to Tour of Britain and the races afterwards he wasn't in top shape but I do think he's getting stronger again. Of course, it's a big race for us and I think he still wants to win at least one stage so I'm sure he will try.

"I think Alvaro (Hodeg) is the young star name the race. He's really young, only 22 and super talented, he's really strong. So if one day Fernando doesn't feel too good, maybe one day we can try with Alvaro but of course we also have Max Richeze who is an incredible lead out man and for sure we can go for some sprints.

"They have raced together earlier in the season in Colombia and Argentina and they also live close to each other and training all the time plus they are really good friends, so there's no problem there in being rivals. They will just help each other depending on the team plan."

Keisse says the team are coming to the Presidential Tour of Turkey having identified where they may also be able to challenge the other General Classification with Zdeněk Štybar and James Knox leading the charge.
 
"I think we have quite a balanced team - which means for me that I won't have much freedom and I will have to work hard and ride each day. But I'm used to that and I don't mind, that's my job.
 
It is no secret that the 2018 TUR is likely to be decided on stage four, from Marmaris to Selçuk, with two tough climbs within the last 15km of the race before a testing mountain top finish.

"Let's see what he can do there but I think Zdeněk Štybar was in pretty good shape at the UCI World Championships so let's hope he can ride a good race and be high up on GC. That would be good for the team as well.'