Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp) brought a long victory drought to an end when the American beat Reinhardt Janse Van Rensburg (Argos-Shimano) and Arnaud Demare (FDJ) in the bunch sprint in the third stage of the Tour de l'Eurometropole, formerly Circuit Franco-Belge. Sitting in 3rd on GC, he has now set his sights on the overall lead with just one stage coming up.

It has been a difficult season for Tyler Farrar who has had difficulty finding back to the sprint level that once firmly positioned him near the top of the fast men's hierarchy. Despite getting an important win in the Tour of California, the American wasn't selected for the Tour de France and when he got his chance in the Vuelta a Espana, he failed to make much of an impact in the many confusing bunch sprints of the Spanish grand tour.

He still hasn't been offered a contract for next season but today he facilitated his search for a new team when he won the third stage of the Tour de l'Eurometropole. On a windy day in France and Belgium, the American stayed calm in the peloton throughout the day and asked his Garmin team to take control inside the final few kilometres when the final break had been caught. Farrar powered clear of his rivals and beat Reinhardt Janse Van Rensburg and Arnaud Demare in the final bunch sprint and so took his second win of the season.

Naturally, Farrar had a feeling of relief after the stage after having finished 4th on the first two stages.

"Finally! This is the appropriate word," Farrar told Directvelo. "After two fourth places, I finally took the stage win. Today, my team did a very good job to position me perfectly."

With the win, Farrar was awarded 10 bonus seconds and now sits in 3rd on GC, 7 seconds behind Jens Debusschere (Lotto Belisol). The final stage is the hilliest of the entire race and finishes with 7 laps on a difficult circuit with a tough climb.

The race is usually decided by bonus seconds and with 10 on offer for the stage win, Farrar has now set his sights on the overall win.

"With this success, I am approaching Jens Debusschere on GC," he said. "I think the race will be decided on bonuses as so often in this event. I am full of confidence and I'll do everything to win."

With the win, Farrar has also taken the lead in the points competition.