Less than a month after sneaking away to victory in stage 4 of Tirreno-Adriatico, Stephen Cummings (Dimension Data) did exactly the same on stage 3 of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco. Timing a late attack under the flamme rouge to perfection, he time trialled his way to the finish and narrowly held off the sprinters, with Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEDGE) beating Fabio Felline (Trek) in the battle of the fast men. Mikel Landa (Sky) retained his 1-second lead over Wilco Kelderman (LottoNL-Jumbo).

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Victorious Stephen Cummings: It’s always worth a try

The 3rd stage of the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco was a perfect day for Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka as Steve Cummings attacked with 1km to go and soloed to a magnificent stage victory. Cummings just held off the chasing pack which was led home by Simon Gerrans (Orica-Greenedge) with Fabio Felline (Trek-Segafredo) in 3rd.

 

Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka could not have scripted the stage any better as Daniel Teklehaimanot got into the early break of the day with 4 other riders. The African Team were able to conserve energy in the peloton while Teklehaimanot spent the day in the break, and this set the team up nicely to take on the final climbs with the main group.

 

Daniel Navarro (Cofidis) would eventually bridge and then pass the two lone leaders just before the top of the final climb, but the gap to the now 40 rider peloton was only 25". Cummings and Serge Pauwels were both part of this select group and with Orica-Greenedge now setting the pace, the two African Team riders just bided their time. Navarro was caught in the final 4km and this played perfectly into the hands of Cummings.

 

In typical fashion, the British star went from the rear of the main group and just powered off the front with an incredible seated attack as the race went under the 1km to go banner. The main group hesitated for a second and this gave Cummings the upper hand. Cannondale and Orica-Greenedge put everything into the final 700m but Cummings had done it again. With his arms in the air, the peloton sprinted home a few meters behind Cummings with teammate Pauwles also punching the air in jubilation as he watched his temamate take a fine win.  

 

Cummings said:

”What a brilliant feeling this is. These early season races are so hard and to get two wins now, one in Tirreno-Adriatico and another here at Pais Vasco, it feels quite good. Before we came to Pais Vasco though I said I wanted to win a stage, some people may have thought something different about that but I am happy to have done it. I'm really pleased that I get to stand on the podium once again for Qhubeka, it just makes it such a good day for us.

 

“it was a really important win. This race means a lot to the people here, because it’s so difficult. It’s great to win here because the level’s so high.

 

“There are no easy days here, every day is difficult. You talk about it in the peloton, everybody has sore legs, it’s hard terrain, hard weather, it doesn’t get much harder.

 

“I ask him [Igor Anton] all the time, every minute, 'what’s this road like, what’s that road like?' It’s been very good to have two guys [Anton and Fraile] in the team because it’s important to know what’s coming up, they’ve been a great help.”

 

“It’s the same kind of scenario, I can’t really move on the climb ‘cos I haven’t got the legs so I’m just hanging and from that moment to the final you’re always looking for an opportunity, a slowing or a rise.

 

“Sometimes it comes, sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s always worth a little try, otherwise you sit there and get twentieth.”

 

Sports director Alex Sans Vega added:
 

“Today was one of those day's where everything works out. We wanted to be in the break because there was a 50% chance that the break would make it to the finish. Daniel Teklehaimanot was in, and that was perfect. The only problem was the Giant-Alpecin rider was 4 minutes behind on GC so the gap never got more than 5 minutes. So coming to the final, we wanted to try something. Steve got a great victory in typical and perfect Steve Cummings style. We are very happy with this result, the guys did a great job today.”

 

In-form Simon Gerrans after second near-miss: It’s frustrating

2014 Liege-Bastogne-Liege winner Simon Gerrans sprinted to second place on stage three of the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco today behind the late solo attack of stage winner Stephen Cummmings (Dimension-Data).

 

Gerrans won the bunch sprint for second place after excellent work by last years Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian winner Adam Yates. Yates managed to bridge across to the first group of chasers in the last 25kilometres and played an important role in bringing things back together for Gerrans and ORICA-GreenEDGE. The result saw Gerrans move into the lead of the points classification and take the races white jersey. 

 

Sport director Neil Stephens was happy with the result and reiterated the point that Gerrans is coming into some good from for the upcoming races.

 

“Great effort from Simon (Gerrans) today to get over a difficult parcours and be so close to the win in the finale,” said Stephens. “Like we mentioned on Monday, he is coming into some form now which is really promising for the team going into April.

 

“The whole team were fantastic all day long, our plan was to get in there and have a go and we really did that. We did a lot of the work on the front again and Adam (Yates) was superb in the final 30kilometres.”

 

“I’ve said it before but our work ethic and attitude are both outstanding,” continued Stephens.”We had a disappointing day yesterday and we really bounced back well today.

 

“We will keep giving it a go for the rest of the week and hopefully we can be up there with the leaders over the next three stages.”

 

”Frustratingly close to the win here again in #paisvasco,” Gerrans tweeted after the stage.

 

Fabio Felline builds confidence with strong performances in Pais Vasco

Fabio Felline and Simon Gerrans (Orica GreenEdge) went head to head again in a reduced bunch sprint in Volta al Pais Vasco stage three but were unable to overtake Stephen Cummings (Dimension Data), whose late flyer in the final kilometer proved to be the winning move.

 

As Cummings threw his arms in the air, Felline and Gerrans flung their bikes over the line to determine the minor places, with Gerrans edging out Felline for second.

 

"When Cummings went, it was difficult to bring him back since there were no teams left to chase with the finale of this stage being so hard," said Felline. "No one had many teammates left same as me, I only had Bauke (Mollema), and the last 500 meters were so difficult to [try and] catch him." 

 

With three categorized climbs jammed in the final 28 kilometers, and constant attacks keeping the pressure on and pace high the peloton split, and the front group pared to around 30 riders, including Mollema and Felline.

 

All pointed to a reduced bunch sprint to end the 193.5-kilometer race as five leaders were caught with less than two kilometers remaining. That is, until Cummings burst out of the leading peloton under the flamme rouge and opened up a significant gap.

 

Behind a second group merged with the front, but the added firepower came too late.

 

Felline said: "I did a good sprint. I started at the right moment, and Gerrans passed me in the last 20-30 meters, and I lost the second position by not a lot. But, okay, what was important was the victory, and that was impossible.

 

"Today was easier in the first part of the race, but in the last 50 kilometers when the race started, the pace was higher than the other days.  We were a full peloton at that point and in the finish only maybe 30 riders. 

 

"I am happy because I continue to progress. My legs felt a lot of pain today, but at this point of the race, that's normal. We will see for the next days. What's important is to continue to improve and gain more confidence every day – because the last period [before this race] was not so nice, but now I think the beautiful way is in front of me."

 

Bauke Mollema finished with the peloton in the same time to keep the goal of a high overall classification on track.

 

"Kiel (Reijnen) and Peter (Stetina) did a good job to help push the pace before the last climbs and make the peloton smaller for the sprint," added director Kim Andersen. "At that point there were some attacks that went and not enough guys there to close it down. In the end, we were lucky (the breakaway came back). Fabio made a great sprint; we were hoping, though, that it would be for the [podium] flowers!

 

"And Bauke looks good; I think he is getting better and better every day. It is still possible to reach the goals of top 10, top 5 GC."

 

In-form Visconti boosts his morale while working for Quintana in Pais Vasco

The longest day in the 2016 Vuelta al País Vasco - 193km between Vitoria-Gasteiz and Lesaka, through Movistar Team's very own Navarra region for most of stage three - did not give any break to the telephone squad, forced to be fully focused on the front for many different reasons.

 

Halfway through the course, a puncture for Nairo Quintana on the downhill of the Alto de Usategieta (Cat-3) made him take Jesús Herrada's bike for the next few kilometers and later follow the race convoy behind the bunch, with a bike whose measures only let him ride off the sadle and on the frame's top tube. The Colombian joined the field, back with his own Canyon, in company of Dani Moreno and Giovanni Visconti.

 

The Italian was the man in charge of bringing a good result for the Blues at the end, as neither Dani Navarro (COF) - a late attack by the Spaniard left the day's early escape behind - nor some of the GC contenders  -Pinot (FDJ) made a brief attack on the La Piedad (Cat-2) climb - could prevent a field sprint that was ultimately ruined by Stephen Cummings (DDD), with a short, sharp attack with 1km to go. ‘Visco’ was 5th over the finish.

 

Quintana remains 8th in the GC and will surely have to react back again on Thursday as the Itzulia tackles the Alto de Aia. The Cat-2 climb will be passed three times during the 165km stage four, with its shortest, steepest, final ascent just 13km away from Orio's finish.

 

Giovanni Visconti said: “Today's was a very demanding finish, with those three consecutive climbs and, above all, the difficult descents and all the stress to get in good position at the start of every ascent. Those efforts really make a difference. At the end, there were only two real sprinters - Felline and Gerrans - and Arri [sports director Jose Luis Arrieta] asked me to give it a try. I dug deep, but with 1km to go, Cummings attacked - he's a guy who really delivers in such situations - and we all hesitated for a second, which was enough for him to ride away from any chase. It was quite a 'slow' sprint, one where I couldn't get really much past that 5th place. Still, it's a nice boost of morale heading into the upcoming races.

 

"I'm here in the Basque Country to help the team; that's my only real task. Having such a talented leader as Nairo makes it compulsory to keep him always at the front, avoid any troubles and cover any difficult moves for him. I think I'm doing my part well - I'm feeling quite strong at this point of the season, and I hope to continue this way. The next two days in the Itzulia will be harder, with longer, more demanding climbs; it will be a matter of getting through Thursday's Aia climbs with no time loss for Nairo and, hopefully, take some seconds back in the Arrate stage, the most important for us, and stay confident for a great TT with Nairo. I think we're still in time to turn things around in this race."

 

Simon Clarke with another top 10 finish in Pais Vasco

“Great work by the all @Ride_Argyle boys today! And a special thanks to @lawsoncraddock for a super leadout. Just ran out of legs in the end,” Simon Clarke tweeted after having sprinted to sixth

 

Growing form for Pierre Rolland in Pais Vasco

Pierre Rolland was on the attack in the finale.

 

"The weather was good. After the steep climb, I made ​​the effort to return to Navarro (Cofidis), he told L’Equipe. ”I tried until the end. 

 

After Paris-Nice, a very bad bronchitis hampered him at the Criterium International. "Now it's going in the right direction,” he said.

 

Lotto Soudal to support Louis Vervaeke fully in Pais Vasco

Tony Gallopin sprinted to seventh place. Louis Vervaeke maintains his twelfth place on GC at fifteen seconds of leader Mikel Landa.

 

Lotto Soudal sports director Mario Aerts said: “The race has no doubt already been a very difficult one so far. However, the really hard and decisive stages are still yet to come over the next few days. What is most crucial for us is that Louis is still up there in the general classification. So the team will be trying hard to defend his placing over the coming stages. That’s the most important thing for us in the race, that he can stay up there with the favourites.”

 

Pello Bilbao shows excellent form for Caja Rural in Pais Vasco

The Caja Rural - Seguros RGA riders keep on showing off their Fuji bikes and green team colors on home soil in Vuelta al País Vasco. On stage 3 of the prominent World Tour race, Domingos Gonçalves made sure that the team was represented in the early breakaway for the third day in a row. Gonçalves won the first KOM sprint and placed second in the following one behind Stefan Denifl (IAM Cycling) who is the new leader of the KOM competition. Caja Rural - Seguros RGA neo-pro, Jonathan Lastra, is third in the classification, only seven points behind Denifl.
 
Gonçalves and his breakaway companions got caught on the final climbs, when numerous attacks occurred in the peloton. Ultimately, Steve Cummings (Dimension Data) managed to solo away to take the win, while Pello Bilbao finished eighth on the stage. In the general classification, Bilbao is now 22nd overall, only 37 seconds behind Mikel Landa (Team Sky).
 
Pello Bilbao said: “I felt really good today and I knew I had a chance in this stage. It was important to stay near the front on the final climbs, which we managed, but at the end, there were no teams left to do the leadouts. When Cummings attacked, everybody was looking at each other, waiting for the sprint. I was in a good position on the wheels of Gerrans and Visconti, but when I started my sprint, I could feel my legs were empty. I was already at my limit on the last climb and I paid the price in the sprint”.

 

Katusha: We had planned to attack with Rodriguez or Spilak

The third stage in the 56th Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco provided more challenging climbs, but no changes at the top of the classification as Team KATUSHA leaders Joaquim Rodriguez and Simon Špilak continued to perform well and stay close in the overall. 

 

”For Joaquim and Simon this was a stage to be near the front, especially with the climbs at the end and the technical descent. If you are in the front, you are safe if some gaps open up. On the final our strategy was to try to attack, but Lotto were controlling the front so there was no chance since it came to the line as a sprint from a big group. For our leaders it was important to get through this day without problems because the important stages are coming up on Friday and Saturday,” said team director José Azevedo.

 

KATUSHA’s lead riders were in the sprinting group with Sergei Chernetckii the best of the bunch for ninth.  Joaquim Rodriguez holds 11th at fifteen-seconds. Simon Špilak is 13th.

 

Mikel Landa: I think I’ll pay the price for my lack of racing

Mikel Landa retained the race lead at the Tour of the Basque Country after finishing safely in the reduced bunch on day three.

 

Steve Cummings (Dimension Data) sprung from the peloton inside the final kilometre to take a narrow victory, while Landa and Sergio Henao rolled home just behind to stay first and third on the general classification respectively.

 

A strong seven-man break attacked on the day's final climb and built a dangerous lead, but we led the way in the peloton to keep it at arm's length, with Philip Deignan and Vasil Kiryienka setting a fast tempo.

 

Daniel Navarro (Cofidis) then attacked on his own, forged a 20-second gap on the escapees and, having crested the climb, it looked like he might go the distance.

 

But after catching what was left of the break the peloton swept up Navarro with a kilometre to go, before Cummings launched his decisive attack.

 

Speaking after the stage Landa was quick to praise the work of his team-mates.

 

He said: "The team worked really well for me and Sergio today. It was a really difficult stage, particularly on the final few climbs, but thanks to our team-mates it all went well and we were able to control the race.

 

"I'm really happy to keep the yellow jersey, but it will be hard work to keep it. I don't have too many days of competition in my legs and I think I'll pay for that in the final days - but I'm going to try hard to hold onto it.

 

“I do not know if it's because of the force that the yellow jersey always gives  you or because of the team which was phenomenal, but I felt good. It is true that in the end I felt some fatigue from yesterday's stage, but we are calm because Sergio Henao is very strong.

 

“I have not been at my best and will have complicated days, but we will see what happens. I am very happy and motivated to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour of the Basque Country.”

 

Dutch super talents shows himself in Basque mountains

Giant-Alpecin had young neo-pro Sam Oomen in the break and he put in a big fight, being one of the last riders to get caught by the bunch. Warren Barguil sprinted to 11th place and he is now 17th in the general classification, 26″ behind the overall leader.

 

Sam Oomen said: “I felt good today and I jumped in the first breakaway that was formed. At the top of the last climb, I kept up with the pace and I managed to stay in contact with Warren during the finale to try and help him in the sprint finish.”

 

Warren Barguil said: “I had good legs today. I was aiming for the sprint today but my position was not good in the finale. With a better position, I would have finished higher but overall I am feeling stronger with each passing day.”

 

Coach Aike Visbeek gave his thoughts after the race: “The goal again was to have Warren fresh for the final and maybe try something on the last climbs. In addition, we wanted a rider in the break to have an extra guy to support Warren. The plan worked out very well as Sam made the break and did a strong ride at the front of the race. It was impressive to see that after being in the break for 185km he still managed to finish in the first group and help Warren.

 

“I am very proud of the team’s efforts today and I’m happy to see a young and talented rider show himself like Sam did today.”

 

Damiano Caruso left frustrated after Basque sprint

Damiano Caruso contested the sprint to finish in 12th place and Samuel Sánchez crossed the line safely in the same bunch to remain in fourth on the General Classification.

 

Damiano Caruso said:

 

“Today was another tough stage and I’m really happy to have been there in the final part to help and support Samu. On the other hand, I’m a bit disappointed because I was missing something in the sprint and feel I could have finished better. My condition is getting better day by day and I’ll try again in the coming stages.”

 

In-form Samuel Sanchez feels great in the Basque Country

"I tried again on the climb to get a good position on the descent. I'm fine and things are working. For me this is a special race, I have done it for 13 years but we have to see where I can get.

 

"I don’t havethe freshness of before but I'm great. It is clear that it is difficult to recover after each WorldTour race and to come from the Volta.”

 

BMC sports director Yvon Ledanois said:

 

“It was a good day for us. We had Damiano Caruso with Samuel for the final climb and they both finished in the bunch. The guys today did a very good job for Samuel. At the beginning we tried to go in the breakaway but that didn’t eventuate so the objective was to keep Samuel out of trouble and protect his position on GC.

 

“Damiano is happy as it was a good day for him today. For Samuel, it was an easier day which is what we wanted. He is strong at the moment and he has the legs. Today was all about having no stress or pressure on him. He knows the race, he lives not too far away, he knows the roads really well and he knows what he has to do.

 

“We had a good day weather-wise with 18 degrees but tomorrow won’t be the same. The next couple of days are looking rough in terms of the weather so this will play a big part in how the race plays out.”

 

Rui Costa still in contention in the Basque Country

Rui Costa and Ulissi completed the 3rd stage in the front group.

 

The Portuguese champion stayed in a perfect position in the final part of the stage, also thanks to the support of an impressive Petilli.
 

Costa could avoid dangerous splits in the group on the last climb and descent. LAMPRE-MERIDA’s rider completed the stage in 15th position.

 

Diego Ulissi was more active in the final part of the race, counting on good legs and on a course which could have been suitable for his skills. The Tuscan rider tried to anticipate a potential sprint by attacking at 2km to go in order to catch 4 riders who were leading the race. Unfortunately, the action failed. He was caught with 1km to go and he crossed the finish line in 31st position.

 

In the general classification Rui Costa is 7th at 15 seconds.

 

”Today we had a smooth stage with a strong pace. The predictions were as planned, with a sprint finish sprint although Cummings attacked and won the stage. I give my sincere congratulations. As for me I have little to add. The legs worked smoothly and I managed to be in the group of favorites with the same time as the winner. I was ​​15th and keep the 7th place overall. Tomorrow will hurt, we have high mountain stage. We will see how the body and legs will fell. I promise I will give my best as always,” Costa wrote in his diary.

 

Alberto Contador: The time trial will decide the race

Over a course that encouraged a quick tempo and even quicker descending, stage 3 of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco got progressively faster in the race to the finish. With multiple breakaways and splits over the full distance of the stage the aim for Tinkoff was to keep Alberto Contador safe and to ensure he came over the finish in Lesaka with no time lost to his rivals. After a strong effort by the whole team, Contador crossed the line with the bunch, taking the same time as the stage winner.

 

On the race’s longest day, the Vuelta al Pais Vasco covered 193.5km, taking in five categorised climbs along the way. With a mix of tough climbs and tricky descents on damp roads, racing was hard, and a break formed early in the day – a group of five managed to quickly gain five minutes on the peloton, staying clear for much of the stage.

With 40km to go, the leader’s group upped the pace, eager to draw in the escapees, with the gap falling to less than a minute with 34km to go. As the gap decreased, attacks came and splits formed, but with only one climb left on the stage, the 3rd category Agina, it was important to catch the break before the run in to the finish. With the breakaway caught, a solo attack took the win, but not enough to take any time, with Alberto Contador crossing the line with the same time as the stage winner.

 

The pace throughout the stage was fast and frenetic, as Sport Director, Steven De Jongh, reported from the finish.

 

"It was a very fast stage with a hard final as we had mentioned yesterday, with a very twisty and technical descent and not a straight forward run in. Despite this the boys did well. Evgeny Petrov, Matteo Tosatto & Michael Valgren worked hard to keep Roman Kreuziger, Robert Kiserlovski and Alberto Contador out of wind and in position, and then on final three climbs those two guys did the job for Alberto who was looking good again today."

 

"The first part of the stage was the calmest so far in the race," said Contador after the race. "The pace then picked up as there were teams interested in getting to the finish in a group. That resulted in a fast race but in the end what counted was to be well positioned in order to avoid having any surprises. We finished the day without any problems and the weather was on our side."

 

After suffering on yesterday’s stage, the team lost another valuable member today.

 

"Unfortunately we lost Jesper Hansen today," said De Jongh. "He was already sick in Catalunya and he was one of the riders we had to bring in at last minute in the hope that he improved as the race went on but today he was empty and it was best for him to stop the race."

While the race so far has been far from flat, tomorrow it takes in its first official mountain stage. The 165km route from Lesaka to Orio takes in six categorised climbs, with three second category climbs in the final 35km before what’s expected to be a fast descent into Orio. De Jongh was clear that the team’s first priority was not to lose any time in tomorrow’s stage.

 

"Tomorrow is going to be another day like today where we focus on defending the position that we have now and not losing any time or making any silly mistakes. After this we have two hard days still to come which will be important for the overall."

 

While the mountains presented the opportunity to create time gaps, Contador was expecting the time trial to have the biggest impact on the GC.

 

"Tomorrow will be similar to today with maybe less favourable weather conditions. We will have to be attentive, especially in the finale, but in my opinion it is the time trial that will decide the race."

 

 

Aggressive Dario Cataldo constantly on the attack in Pais Vasco

“Sometimes the best way to help your captain can be to attack and let the team stay covered in the safe position of the bunch… then of course, when I attack, I do it with the goal to win the stage but sometimes you need some luck too,” said Dario Cataldo.

 

“As in the first stage, there was an unstable situation at the front of the peloton and I had good feelings from my legs. So, I checked that all was ok with our captain Aru an, when a strong rider like Albasini attacked, I jumped on his rear wheel,” explained Cataldo.

 

“On the following descent and climb, some other riders reached us, the situation changed a few times. I also heard from the radio that my team mate Luis Leon Sanhcez had a puncture before the last climb so, even if the gap between us and the bunch was small (only 20 seconds), I gave everything I had to try to win the stage in a restricted sprint between the attackers. Unfortunately the bunch caught us only at 1 km to go and it’s a pity but… this is the sport,” concluded the Italian of the Astana Pro Team.

 

Pinot attacks to stay safe on descent in the Basque Country
The FDJ team leaves nothing to chance and knew again what awaited in this leg-breaking stage of the Tour of the Basque Country. In a tough final, Thibaut Pinot, still sixth overall, made an impression.

 

"Franck Pineau had filmed the end of this stage," says FDJ sports director Yvon Madiot, "and Thibaut therefore knew that he needed to be placed well on narrow and dangerous roads. He wanted to take the last descent in the lead and that's what he did! "

 

The leader of Clover attacked on the last climb. Inevitably, the first part of the peloton reformed but for him the main thing was done.

 

 

"Again  the team did a very good stage, there is nothing to say. At 20 kilometers from the finish, Sébastien Reichenbach (still tenth overall) broke a wheel. Anthony Roux waited and brought him back to the bunch. "

 

Kelderman and Gesink hoping for status quo until Basque time trial

Wilco Kelderman and Robert Gesink maintained second and ninth overall in the Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco today. The two climbers of Team LottoNL-Jumbo finished in the first big group of riders in the third stage, won by Stephen Cummings (Dimension Data).

 

“Wilco and Robert delivered a steady performance today,” Sports Director Addy Engels. “They were in the right position during the day. It was our task to maintain their positions in the general classification. We wanted to use our riders to accomplish that, so there wasn’t any space for being part of the breakaway. If Enrico Battaglin and Paul Martens were able to follow the first group, they could have had a go, but it was too tough for them today.”

 

The stage in the Basque Country ended with three steep climbs, one right after the other.

 

“That hurts more than you would think when you notice that a group of more than 50 riders finished in the same time,” Gesink added. “It went full gas and the group fell apart on top of the final climb, but many riders were able to close the gap during the descent. Wilco and I were behind by a small gap just before the top of the climb, but we were able to bridge it immediately. It was again a big fight for the positions today. Wilco and I came through it quite well.”

 

Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be the decisive days in the general classification of the Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco.

 

“Tomorrow is going to be very tough and the day after is going to be extremely hard,” Engels said. “We are not going to trouble ourself before the closing time trial with a master plan that brings us the leader’s jersey. We have to keep on riding instinctively. If we’re in the same situation before the final stage, we'll be very happy.”

 

Impressive Stefan Denifl takes two jerseys in Pais Vasco

Stefan Denifl nabbed two jerseys.  Once again, the Austrian rider did not spare himself.  Taking part in the day’s break yet again, Denifl, who comes from Innsbruck, Austria, was on a mission to take as many points as possible to count towards the mountains classification. Confident and determined, Denifl was rewarded for his efforts by taking not only the mountains jersey, but also the lead in the "metas volantes" classification.

 

“I recovered well from my efforts on Tuesday,” Stefan Denifl said.  “I felt that I had to try something again today.  You never know what tomorrow will bring, so we have to seize all the opportunities that arise.  I am pleased to have been able to integrate into the breakaway today as well.  We worked well together.  On the second to last climb, my director told me that I was only one point behind the leader in the mountains classification.  So then I gave it absolutely everything to take the points I needed to go ahead.  I know that I cannot follow the best for the overall classification, but taking part in these escapes is a great way for me to highlight what I can do and try something special.”

 

When asked how one can make it into the breakaway on a day like today, Stefan Denifl has a simple, pragmatic answer: “On a stage like this, you just have to have good legs.  If you have the strength and feelings, then there is no reason not to end up at the front.”

 

“What Stefan Denifl was able to do in the stage on Wednesday is very important psychologically,” explained directeur sportif Kjell Carlström.  “He had a difficult year last year, and struggled to return to his highest level.  And now, here he has spent two days at the front of the race and has received two classification jerseys as a reward; that proves he’s back.  This is very important for confidence.  So far, the team has done a very good job.  We are represented daily in the breaks.  We want to continue with this momentum.  It may be complicated in view of the next stages, be we are very motivated and focused.”