After 10 wins in a row, Belkin were defeated in yesterday's stage of the Tour of Hainan. Today they again came up short when Moreno Hofland could only manage sixth in the bunch sprint.

The Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM hoped for a repeat of the opening day in today’s Tour of Hainan stage three, but Moreno Hofland managed only sixth Hofland, winner of stage one, was not able to shake off Astana’s Arman Kamyshev despite strong team-work. 

“Today was a very fast race. During the first two hours the riders covered almost one-hundred kilometres,” said Sports Director Michiel Elijzen after the 134.7-kilometre stage from Haikou to Yueliangwan. 

“Our men tried to force a break more than once and they made their presence felt. Eventually, four men created a breakaway, but unfortunately, we weren’t up there.” 

The quartet managed to pick up a maximum lead of two and a half minutes. It was not enough to stay out of the peloton’s reach. “The final two attackers were caught with two kilometres remaining.” 

The Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM approached the sprint and planned for Hofland’s second win of the week. “We were hoping for a repeat of the first day, but unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.” 

China’s nine-day Tour of Hainan continues tomorrow with a stage along the coast. From Wenchang to Xinglong, the riders will have to cover 145.8 kilometres.