The vehicles may have changed but Theodosius' Obelisk remind us that the toughness of professional racing surely has not. Giovanna Montalbetti reports from Turkey Although no examples of the earliest obelisks have survived, it is known they were erected as early as the 4th dynasty (2613-2494 BC). These monolithic pillars of square base and pyramidal top had their shafts covered in hieroglyphs, as they commemorated the pharaoh's feats or praised the gods. As obelisks became more popular, their size increased, making it very difficult to carve and transport them from their Aswan quarries to their final destinations, where they were usually set up by pairs at the entrance of ancient Egyptian temples. The gods surely felt satisfied, and mere mortals were awed by the display of manpower and mechanical genius required, which was yet another proof of the resourcefulness of the people of Egypt. By the time the great Thutmose III (18th dynasty; sometimes spelled "Thutmosis") succeeded his stepmother Hatshepsut in the throne of Egypt, the size of obelisks had become titanic. Thutmose enlarged existing temples and monuments and built many of his own. He particularly enlarged the Temple of Amon at Karnak, adding new buildings and a number of obelisks. Little could Thutmose III imagine that, around 1,800 years later, these one-piece stone giants would leave Egyptian soil and salute foreign skies. Roman Emperor Constantius II had it in his mind that at least two of Thutmose's obelisks should become his. As if the stones refused to leave their home, it was with big trouble that they were moved from Karnak to Alexandria. One of these obelisks, known as the "Lateran Obelisk", was shipped to Rome where it can still be admired as the largest standing ancient Egyptian obelisk in the world. But the transportation had been so problematic that the second obelisk waited in Alexandria's docks for over a generation before being shipped to Constantinople. It was in 390 AD that Emperor Theodosius I undertook the task. Alas, the obelisk cracked at some point of its travels, and only the upper two- thirds of it arrived in Constantinople. A marble pillar with bas-relieves and inscriptions was added to it in order to commemorate the obelisk's erection in Constantinople. Known nowadays as "Theodosius' Obelisk", it was once witness of horse and chariot races as the monument was part of the city's Hippodrome's spina decorations. Unlike the Delphi tripod -- of which only the "serpent column" remains -- and the Walled Obelisk (a Roman imitation of the Egyptian monolith, originally covered in gilded bronze plaques), the reddish granite of Aswan has withstood in surprisingly good condition the long race against time. Despite the Hippodrome being long gone, Theodosius' Obelisk still presides over important sports events, including the 45th Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey. Recently upgraded from 2.2 to 2.1 in the UCI classifications, the tour this year was a meeting point for professional cycling teams and stars from 23 countries. Held from 12-19 April the tour covered 1,212 kilometres (from Istanbul to Alanya) divided into eight stages to be completed in eight days in which the cyclists competed for the yellow jersey but also for the "Turkish Beauties" and "King of the Mountain" categories. The overall award summed up at around 150,000 euros. Eurosport channel broadcast the event in 123 countries in Europe and Asia, with the aid of special HD cameras placed in helicopters and airplanes to insure full coverage of the entire course. President of Turkey Abdullah Gul was in charge of giving the 157 cyclists from 20 teams competing in this first stage the start at 11am on 12 April. The first stage consisted of 14 laps around Sultanahmet Square and the near coastline. With worldwide media coverage, the Tour of Turkey's organisation was up for some real challenges especially in this first stage, since cutting off Istanbul's traffic in the area took some local citizens and many tourists by surprise. As most of the presents faced the eventuality light-heartedly and cheered the sportsmen as they passed by, impatience got hold of others who took advantage of the intervals between the coming of the groups in order to cross the streets in the middle of the race. Carried away by the general excitement, the barriers were removed a bit too early, as it turned out. Theodosius' Obelisk saw the bewildered face of one of South Africa's Team Neotel components, whom, having separated himself from the major groups, arrived in the area in one of the final laps when the barriers had been removed. Trapped in the tide of pedestrians now hurrying to their destinations, the cyclist had to find his way amongst the crowd, eventually having to get on the sidewalk, probably just in case the wheeled traffic might be restored as quickly. Without further incidents, the first stage of this 45th Presidential Turkey Tour crowned Italian CF Group Navigare team member Mauro Finetto, who gained a total of 20 points: five points for finishing ahead the first lap and 15 points for finishing the stage as number one. Italian Ruggero Marzoli won the sprint category's "Green Jersey". In the overall Tour results, South Africa's Barloworld member Daryl Impey emerged the winner. The victory turned out to be a tough one though, as Impey was badly injured in the final sprint within one kilometre of the last stage in Alanya. He was pulled down by Theo Bos (Rabobank), who created the crash by putting his hand on Impey's shoulder and is now awaiting UCI's final word on the incident. Impey was lucky to get away with only facial trauma, some broken teeth and a deep cut in his mouth, but had to be taken immediately to hospital, leaving his teammates and his directeur sportif to receive the yellow and green jerseys in his place. Most probably, the cyclist will not be able to attend this year's Giro d'Italia.
