Team Novo Nordisk’s Javier Megias was eyeing Stage 3 of the Amgen Tour of California as a breakout day, but a late race crash marred his hopes.

“The day was going perfectly until I crashed. I’m really sad that it happened today of all days because I felt even stronger than I did at the Tour of Turkey,” Megias said. “The final climb really suited me well and now I’ve lost any general classification hopes. Now all my attention is on Stage 5. I hope to rest well tonight, recover and hopefully I’ll have a chance at something big on Thursday.”

Tuesday’s stage began and ended in San Jose, and it was the first test for the climbers. The 169.8-kilometer race featured a total of six categorized climbs, including a summit finish up Metcalf Road. While riders attacked immediately from the start, it wasn’t until they hit the first climb of the day on Mines Road that a seven-man group escaped. They built a maximum gap of 4:30 by the time they reached the slopes of Mount Hamilton, a Beyond Classification or HC climb. As the break ascended, Toms Skujins (Hincapie Racing Team) attacked the break, causing it to splinter. The Latvian rider built a sizeable gap and held on for 55 km to solo to the win.

“Today’s plan was to make the break and for me to hold on until the final climbs, but the day was really fast from the start and it was incredibly hard to get in the break,” Megias said. “I’m really proud of the support my teammates have given me so far this week. They’ve really been working hard to make my days easier. We missed the break, which was unfortunate because it stayed away, but we still raced well as a team.”

Toms Skujins (Hincapie Racing Team) took the win 1 minute 6 seconds ahead of Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo) and Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-Quick Step).

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team, continues racing at the Amgen Tour of California on Wednesday with Stage 4. The 173.1-km stage begins in Pismo Beach and should be another day for the sprinters when it finishes in Avila Beach.