Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Tony Martin did an outstanding job leading out Michal Kwiatkowski approaching the final 900 meters of the 210km Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 3 on Friday. His effort was so strong, he blew up the entire field behind him as riders crossed the finish line in groups with time gaps between each other.

Martin's effort followed a strong pull on the front by teammate Matteo Trentin. The result was chaos for the rest of the peloton. 

The final 900 meters averaged 5% in gradient, with a max ramp of 11%. Kwiatkowski earned a 2nd place finish behind stage winner Peter Sagan (Cannondale ProCycling), as Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) was the first to launch the sprint, but lost his power in the final meters. Simon Clarke (ORICA-GreenEDGE) finished 3rd, and Gilbert 4th.

Kwiatkowski kept the Maglia Azzura (blue jersey) with OPQS for another day, taking over the race lead from Mark Cavendish. Cavendish wore the jersey for two stages following the OPQS TTT victory. Rigoberto Uran moved up to 2nd in the GC.

"You can see, even in yesterday's race that in the end everyone was nervous," Kwiatkowski said. "Everyone wants to stay near the front for the GC or the sprint. Luckily I really had so much support today from my teammates. I'm really thankful that I could stay safe because of them, especially seeing the crashes like there were yesterday.

"This year we are motivated, we have a good lineup, and we had a good start of the race. So, why not go for maybe a stage win and the GC lead for the team once again on a day like today? Matteo Trentin and Tony Martin did a great job putting me into position. I wasn't able to get the victory, but OK, now I am in the Maglia Azzurra.

“You want to do well in every race and, to do so, you have to believe you can win. I was 4th in this race last year, I’m  motivated, and I’ve had a good start to the race, so why not? I know the big  stages still lie ahead of us, and that the race has really just begun, but it’s better to be in this position…”

“You can see that Contador has a lot of support form his team-mates. They were on the front all day. He looked strong at the Tour of the Algarve, so I think he’s the biggest contender for victory in this Tirreno-Adriatico, He’s in really good form, and he was looking good today. Having said that, Sky was always in the front today as well, so tomorrow we will see…”

“I was in good form this time last year, but my race programme at the start of the season was a little bit different. Last year I went to Argentina [in January], I did well there, but not as well as this year. I started this season a little bit later. That’s the thing.The big difference is that I’m starting to win races. 

"I’m not 35, so I think I will get stronger year by year, and my team, Omega Pharma - Quick-Step, believes in me. With the kind of support I have from my coaches and team-mates, I hope I’ll get stronger year by year.”

You can read our preview of stage 4 here.