Ireland's Sam Bennett won the second stage of the 54th Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey on Wednesday.

The second stage was held in the Alanya district of southern Turkey's Antalya.

Bennett, who rides for the Bora-Hansgrohe team, won the 149.6-kilometer-long race in 3 hours 24 minutes and 37 seconds.

Colombian Alvaro Jose Hodeg Chagui, who rides for the Quick-Step Floors team, came in second, while Simone Consonni, an Italian cyclist riding for the UAE-Team Emirates, was third in the race.

Earlier Tuesday, Argentinian Maximiliano Richeze won the first stage in central Turkey's Konya.

For the second time, Tour of Turkey is being been held as part of the World Tour.

This year's event welcomes 20 teams from across the world, including the Turkish national team, to race in the 950-kilometer, six-stage tour.

After its promotion to World Tour category, the Tour of Turkey is expected to reach a much larger audience through broadcasts in more than 120 countries.

Organized by the Turkish Cycling Federation, the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey debuted in 1963 and became an international race two years later.

In the world's only intercontinental cycling tour, cyclists will ride in the Eurasia Tunnel connecting Europe to Asia under the Bosporus Strait.

Nine World Tour teams are among the 20 teams with 140 cyclists racing in the Tour of Turkey.

The six-day tour kicked off in Konya on Oct. 9 and will end in Istanbul on Oct. 14.