Fernando Gaviria (Etixx-QuickStep) proved his status as probably the biggest sprint talent in the world by winning the first ever WordTour sprint he has ever done. In a hugely anticipated battle, he narrowly held off Caleb Ewan (Orica-GreenEDGE), with Elia Viviani (Sky) being a very distant third. Zdenek Stybar retained the lead.

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Fernando Gaviria plays down expectations for Milan-Sanremo after first WorldTour win

Already victorious this season in stages of the Tour de San Luis and Tour La Provence (where he also took home the points jersey), Fernando Gaviria confirmed in Montalto di Castro his huge talent, which was showcased since last year, and nailed the team’s 18th victory of 2016, which he got just six days after celebrating his second career victory in the Omnium event, at the Track World Championships in London.

 

“I am very happy for taking a win in my first World Tour race and for repaying the team’s confidence. I worked hard to get here and now I’m enjoying this incredible day. I rode pressure-free, my goal was to take it day by day and see how my legs will respond. It has been an excellent week so far for the team. I am in good shape and I have to thank for that to our trainer, Koen Pelgrim, who was very close to me in the past months”, said Gaviria at the arrival, before continuing with an analysis of the finale: “The last kilometer wasn’t as tough as we thought, that’s why many sprinters made it over that small climb. I had a very strong team, who helped me a lot before I jumped into Sagan’s wheel and launched my sprint. I want to thank the entire team for their work, because I got to experience this special feeling, of notching my maiden World Tour victory. Of course, winning the Omnium world title was also very emotional, but these are two victories which can’t be compared.”

 

"It's been a very hard race today, especially for me coming fresh from the Track World Championships. All the teams were trying to win the stage. I'm extremely satisfied. The last 200 metres have been perfect. Etixx - Quick Step is such a great team, we're ready to win on any kind of terrain.

 

"It’s been a complicated sprint. All teams were positioning their sprinter. Most of them were tired while Etixx - Quick Step was still able to do a phenomenal job for me. They even led me out too fast. I was touched by someone on my left but fortunately I had the legs to finish it off.

 

“We worked hard as a team to get here. It’s a great day for us, we got a great win and I’ve got to thank my team for helping me win my first WorldTour race.

 

“It was a pretty complicated sprint because all the teams wanted to move up their sprinters in the finale. At the end we were all up there and my team did a great job. We started to move left and right and people touched shoulders inside the final kilometre but I had great legs and that helped me win today.

 

“This is not a surprise: I’ve worked hard to reach this level and get my first WorldTour victory today just after I won the omnium at the Track World Championship even though it was not a goal for me. I’ve trained a lot with my coach but not for the track. My training plans were only built for road racing at WorldTour level. That’s why the transition from track to road was easier for me than for Mark Cavendish. He spent a lot of time in Manchester with the British track team while I only rode on a velodrome three days before the World Championships.

 

“I have not seen the stage of tomorrow. I want to think day by day, with no pressure . I want to see what I can do with my legs, and maybe try to win again.

 

"This has been an excellent week in which I had a very good physical condition. This is mainly due to the coach who has followed me closely and my family that helped me a lot. This is one more reason to continue giving the best of myself.

 

Seeing his current form and knowing that he’s on the start list for this year’s Milan-Sanremo, many began to speculate on the fact that he could have a major role in “La Primavera”, which is scheduled on March 19th, but Gaviria immediately downplayed this expectations ahead of his first Monument: “To be quite frankly, I can’t wait to race Milan-Sanremo, but I’m not thinking of getting the victory there. Let’s not forget that I’ve never rode a 300-km long race. For me, it will be a great moment even to be at the start, and all I want is to enjoy this Classic, to see how my body will react and gain valuable experience.

 

“I think l’ll ride Milan-San Remo but I don’t know what I can do. I think I’m the team’s sprinter for Milan-San Remo but it’s not only a race for sprinters, it’s a race for strong riders. I hope to have the legs for 300km. For now my goal is to finish it.

 

“My dream is to win Paris-Roubaix. I’ve only ever seen Paris-Roubaix on TV, it’s an exciting and a hard race. I like it because it finishes in a velodrome…”

 

Zdenek Stybar: Fernando Gaviria can crat a surprise in Sanremo

At the end of a stage which brought huge satisfaction to Etixx – Quick-Step, Zdenek Stybar kept his blue jersey, which he got to don following Thursday’s success. He too, just as everybody else, was impressed by Gaviria’ display in stage 3: “What I know for sure is that Fernando is very talented and extremely fast. Think about it: he returned this week from the Track World Championships, where he won the Omnium gold medal for the second year in a row, and he still was in great shape, helping the team in the TTT and now doing this amazing sprint. In Tirreno he is my roommate and I got to know him better: Fernando is a great guy and I’m sure he’ll win many races. He’s still very young and we have seen just a glimpse of what he can really do.

 

“I room with him. He only speaks Spanish, he is very quiet, he doesn’t show his confidence and mostly express himself on the bike. I think this guy will win a hell lot of races. He came here from the track world championships where he won the Omnium. It must be very hard to make the transfer from those hard races and do such a sprint like he did today. I think that shows he’s extremely fast and extremely talented.

 

“I think he can make a surprise (at Milan-San Remo). It’s a very long race but not the hardest race. Fernando goes well on the climbs so we’ll see. He can bring us some surprises.

 

"I'm really happy with keeping the jersey but even more with [the team] winning this stage with Fernando Gaviria. Our guys have been working hard from start to finish so it's wonderful to see our young sprinter finishing it off. This is another great day for us at this race.

 

"It was a tough day for us. We started to pull right from kilometer zero , controlling the race from start to finish. It was really hard, but Gaviria did it

 

”The escape came close to victory. But you know that in the end the group is riding fast. It was risky, but we had a happy end for which we are happy.

 

“For me, Sunday’s stage will probably be too hard. The finale is a long climb with steep slopes. I’m not a pure climber but I’ll try to hang on as long as I can. Of course it’s also a very important part of my calendar ahead of the Spring Classics. We’ve been lucky with the weather so far so it looks good for Milan-Sanremo. Gaviria can be a surprise there too. He also goes really good on the climbs".

 

Bob Jungels: Tirreno-Adriatico is kind of a test for me

Bob Jungels is still the best young rider.

 

"It’s definitely a great feeling to race for Etixx - Quick Step and be competitive in every stage in this race. We defended Stybar’s jersey and still managed to win the stage with Gaviria,” he said.

 

”It’s something special for me to wear the White Jersey in such a big race but it’ll be hard to defend it against Adam Yates. He’s a better climber than I am but I came here with the aim of riding for GC. It’s kind of a test for the future but we also have a lot of goals to chase as a team".

 

Caleb Ewan looking forward to more battles with Gaviria

Twenty one year old Australian sprinter Caleb Ewan took second place for Orica-GreenEDGE today with Fernando Gavira (Etixx-Quickstep) claiming the victory as stage three of Tirreno-Adriatico finished with the expected high-speed sprint.

 

Orica-GreenEDGE took the initiative early on in the stage with Canadian Svein Tuft controlling things from the front of the peloton for more than 150 kilometres.

 

“Svein (Tuft) put in a massive shift today, hats off to him. He was up there all day and along with Etixx-Qickstep we were the only two teams taking responsibility  out there,” explained sports director Matthew White.

 

“Ultimately the work the team put in was worth it as Caleb (Ewan) came in second and was close to finishing it off. We expected more wind in the approach to the finish but that wasn’t the case and it was a really fast finale.”

 

White continued by saying.

 

“Overall it was a good day and solid performance by the team, we positioned ourselves well throughout the day and kept our two climbers safe for the coming stages.”

 

“This is the first time I’ve really raced him properly. Obviously, he’s super quick,” Ewan told Cyclingnews. “He’s a bit bigger than me, but he’s still not a huge guy. He’s kind of in between the small sprinters and the really big ones.”

 

“I’m looking forward to sprinting against him this year and in the future. He seems a really nice guy, so I’m looking forward to this rivalry. It seems that we’re going to be sprinters of the future but I’m sure someone else will come along as well and so it won’t just be Gaviria and me.

 

 

“He got the jump on me and I got on him but he was too quick in the end, so it was a great sprint by him.”

 

Elia Viviani: I can’t use the Track Worlds as an excuse

Elia Viviani sprinted to an impressive third place in stage three of Tirreno-Adriatico, pipping world champion Peter Sagan to a place on the podium. Fernando Gaviria (Etixx - Quick-Step) won the stage from Caleb Ewan (Orica-GreenEdge) after an exhilarating final kilometre which saw lead-out trains blown apart as riders battled for position on the tough uphill finish into Montalto di Castro.

 

Gaviria emerged round the final bend in front and held off the chasing pack, while Viviani came from several wheels back to claim his third place on the line.

 

Michal Kwiatkowski (17th) and Wout Poels (29th) both finished comfortably in the bunch without any issues to remain in overall contention ahead of the tougher stages to come.

 

Speaking to TeamSky.com back at the team bus Viviani explained he was happy with his podium finish after three weeks away from the road at the track world championships.

 

He said: "It's a good way to come back after three weeks on the track and here the level is very, very high. Gaviria did well - it was a really strong sprint.

 

"Our guys did a really good job with 10km to go. Kwiato led me to a good position but the closing stages weren't easy. There was lots of turns - left, right, left, right - and I lost some positions, but in the last 200m I produced a good effort and I'm happy with third."

 

Viviani admitted that he felt good inside the last 500m, but he just slipped off Gaviria's wheel after a tough right turn.

 

He added: "With 300m to go I saw Gaviria coming up, but I lost his wheel at 250m to go and after that I started the sprint in seventh position. Really, my sprint was only for third place because Gaviria and Ewan were out in front. It was not possible for me to close that gap.

 

"I am happy though. At the moment Gaviria is really strong - we saw that at the world track championships too. He's a young phenomenon, but I think we have another chance in Monday's stage. I'll be motivated."

 

“The excuse of only being just back from the track isn’t a valid on here because Gaviria won,” Viviani pointed out.

 

“It was a chaotic sprint. The lads did an excellent job to keep me at the front in the last ten kilometres because it was a narrow and twisting road in the finale. We don’t have a lead-out train so Kwiatkowski and Pete Kennaugh helped me to get into position, but it was easy to lose places on these curves.

 

Peter Sagan: The win will come and hopefully it will be a big onw

With Peter Sagan starting stage 3 in the top ten of the GC, and on a course that would favour the sprinters, there was no doubt that this was going to be a day of action at Tirreno-Adriatico. In a bunch sprint in Montalto di Castro, Sagan ’s 4th place put him top of the points classification.

 

The 3rd stage of the 51st edition of the Tirreno-Adriatico took place over a 176km route that, in spite of climbs midway through the day, had a long downhill that would give sprinters the chance to bridge any gaps. In a Tirreno-Adriatico parcours that created opportunities for sprinters on only one stage, the final 30km would prove pivotal in who would take the stage win.

 

So, at 30km out, the Tinkoff riders began pushing for position, eager to close the gap on the breakaway that had been in front from the start of the stage, and slowly took time from the break, finally catching at 2km to go. The pace rising, Tinkoff took to the front, with Adam Blythe finally handing off to Peter Sagan for the sprint, which was narrowly taken by Gaviria of Etixx-Quick Step.

 

Speaking about the closing moments of the race, Sagan praised his teammates.

 

“It was very fast and very narrow for the last 40km. The conditions were good, I did my best and the team worked very well – it was important we didn’t crash”.

 

“Every sprint is different and today went as it did… I can’t complain. These guys are really fast and I did my best against them. I can only thank the team for doing a great job for me in the finale. There was nothing else I could do. It’s important to be up there. I think my form is good. We’ll see I can do in the next few days. There are still chances for me in this year’s race.

 

“My consistency proves that I’m in a good shape. When there are hills at the end, I’m up there. When it’s flat I’m up there as well. Today I’ve been a victim of those who came from behind in full speed but I’m happy with how it has gone so far in this race."

 

“There are some riders who don’t understand a thing in the final kilometre. If one of my teammates is leading me out in the sprint, then another rider shouldn’t get in the way. Okay, it didn’t really affect my sprint, the guys came past me from behind and were faster than me in the final two hundred metres. I wanted to accelerate too but it was difficult as the road rose up.”

 

Sports Director, Lars Michaelsen echoed Sagan’s praise.

 

“It was a pretty good, flat out day. We didn't go in the groups and had the team there at the end to set Peter up for the sprint. The guys did a great job to get him into position coming into the final kilometres and at the end he got fourth around some very fast guys. It's not a stage win but we tried and were right up there which is a positive.”

 

 

Adam Blythe gave some insight into the team’s approach at the end of the stage.

 

“It was pretty good out there today. We were focussing on trying to get Peter into a good position. The plan was to get together in the last 15km around him and to keep him out of trouble and up there. Then it was to go into the downhill before the finish full gas, and carry the speed up into the sprint but it was quite a long one.”

 

With Sagan taking the Maglia Rossa, Michaelsem was looking to build on this and take stages later in the race. “The points jersey is a bonus - we're came here to win stages and this is a nice reward for our work so far, but our focus will remain the same and we'll take it day by day.”

 

Of the coming stages, Sagan already had his eye on tomorrow’s course.

 

“We’ll be focussing on the future. Tomorrow will be a good day for sure – we will see, we will try, and see how it’s going. A race is a race and every day is different. Tirreno-Adriatico is far from over and I think I can aim at a stage win. In addition, the season's main goals still lie ahead and we are working to reach them.”

 

“Who’s missing a win? I’m happy with my form and my racing. I think a win will come. Let’s hope it's one of the right ones, one of the big ones.

 

As the race goes on, the team’s form for the classics is becoming evident, as shown by Adam Blythe’s confidence for the coming classics. ”Me personally, I'm feeling better and better and I'm coming good towards the start of the big classics which is exciting.”

 

At 222km, stage 4 is the longest at this year’s race. With a parcours that takes in four climbs close to the finish in Foligno, GC riders will be looking to take control of the race, while there’s potential for the all-rounders to push for a stage win.

 

Leigh Howard: I have improved my sprints a lot

"I see this fifth place as a step taken not only by the team, but by myself as well,” explained Leigh Howard. "Everyone, without exception, fully supported me in this final. There were no false notes. If I did not win, it’s an indication that I need to work harder in training. That said, I have definitely noticed an improvement in my sprints since the start of the season. I am not an exceptional sprinter, but I think that I have the capabilities needed to play for the win for certain types of finishes. Certainly, I will never be a Peter Sagan who can win anywhere. Perhaps the section of a 7% grade 300 meters from the line was too much for me. But I will take away some valuable lessons from today.”

 

“We focused all our tactics around Leigh Howard for the third stage,” directeur sportif Kjell Carlström admitted. “It was imperative to be at the front of the peloton with two kilometers to go. Since we are racing at this high level, our result fulfilled our contract for the day. Leigh perhaps made the mistake of launching his sprint a moment too soon. In a sprint, it is all decided in a matter of split seconds. But even with that, Fernando Gaviria seemed untouchable. Of course I remain confident that Howard can rival the sprinters of this caliber.”

 

Giacomo Nizzolo battles through illness to take sixth at Tirreno-Adriatico

The catch to the breakaway group came late, with 1.5 kilometers to go, adding another messy layer to an already tricky finish in stage three at Tirreno-Adriatico Friday where Giacomo Nizzolo sprinted to 6th place.

It was a finish suited to the skills of Nizzolo: a twisty, uphill fast sprint where positioning was key, but after battling a virus last week, his legs did not have their normal punch. 

 

"It was a really fast finish because it was a tailwind," explained Nizzolo after the finish. "I tried to use the work of the other teams, I was well-positioned in the last kilometer, but I didn't have the legs to finish it off.

 

"I didn't feel so good in the sprint; it was a hard sprint - a bit uphill - which normally is good for me, but of course last week I was sick and I cannot pretend to be 100 percent. I did the best that I could do today."

 

Fernando Gaviria (Etixx-Quick Step) won the stage and the overall classification remained unchanged.

 

The next two stages are ones for the GC contenders, and Bauke Mollema, who quietly finished with the peloton today, will take center stage again.

 

"Our number one goal today was to protect Bauke, and he finished safely in the peloton," said director Adrinao Baffi. "To see Giaco there in the sprint at the end after his sickness is a good sign. Normally, we expect more than a 6th, and hopefully he will be back to his top form for another chance later in the week."

 

Failed lead-out for Nikias Arndt means two riders in the top 10 for Giant-Alpecin

Once back together the race was flying towards the finish line with Team Giant-Alpecin in the peloton fighting for the good positions before the sprint.

 

It proved to be a diifcult lead-out for the Team Giant-Alpecin in the last kilometers with many sprinting teams fighting for the front of the peloton. Zico Waeytens the first finisher for Team Giant-Alpecin sprinting to 7th, and this was closely followed by Nikias Arndt in 10th place.

 

Luke Roberts said:

 

“The aim was to work for Nikias today and to prepare the best possible sprint for him. In the last part, we missed some guys to be able to take the lead and we had to gamble on coming from behind late and consequently we didn’t have much space to move in a hectic final.

 

“In the sprint finish, Ramon [Sinkeldam] and Nikias lost contact with Zico in final km. Zico continued his effort and went to finish in 7th place and Nikias ended up in 10th place.”

 

Sacha Modolo: I didn’t imagine that Gaviria would be so strong

Lampre-Merida focused their ambitions on the trio Ferrari-Zurlo-Modolo: in the last kilometer, Ferrari led the blue-fuchsia-green train to the front of the group, then Zurlo acted as lead-out man for Modolo, demonstrating his competitiveness in a battle with Sagan.

 

When Zurlo completed his action, Modolo tried to launch his sprint on the left side of the road, but Gaviria had already started his progression, followed by Ewan. Modolo could not match him and was also overtaken by some riders who recovered from behind.

 

“I aspired to obtain a better result, I’m not happy with today’s performance,” Modolo explained. “The final of the stage was suitable for my skills, I thought to have an advantage on the pure sprinters. My team mates were great in pacing me to the front positions.

 

“Maybe we had a hesitation when we were close to the fence on the left side of the road, however I could start my sprint in the proper moment, but Gaviria had already a good advantage thanks to an impressive speed. I was aware he could have been the favourite, however I could not imagine he would be so strong.

 

“I'm sorry, it was a great opportunity and I believed in a good result."

 

Late turn destroys Moreno Hofland’s sprint in Tirreno-Adriatico

Moreno Hofland could not do better than ninth today in Tirreno-Adriatico when the bunch galloped to the finish in Monalto di Castro. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s sprinter was stuck leading to the stage three sprint in southern Italy together with Tom Van Asbroeck. Fernando Gaviria (Etixx-Quick Step) won the day.

 

“The peloton marked the escape at a closer range than we expected,” Sports Director Jan Boven said after the race. “The preparation for the sprint was very hectic because of that. We were on the wrong side in the penultimate turn, so we were stuck. Tom Van Asbroeck and Moreno Hofland had to work from 25th position afterwards.”

 

The plan was to have at least three riders with the first 15 at two kilometres to go, but when Mike Teunissen lost contact with Van Asbroeck and Hofland, that did not happen.

 

“With 1400 metres to go, there was a turn to the left,” Hofland said. “We had to make a move there to reach the first ten riders, but we lost contact. We weren’t able to do our thing and lost many places in the pack. Our chances disappeared already there actually.”

 

On Saturday, the riders face a tough stage in Tirreno-Adriatico.

 

“It has a hard final, with some tough climbs, one after other,” Boven added. “We have to make our plan for the final during the race itself. The most important thing is to finish in the first group with Primoz Roglic. Enrico Battaglin might go for his chances as well.”

 

Gonçalves and Caja Rural left with bitter taste after near-miss at Tirreno-Adriatico

Team Caja Rural - Seguros RGA continue to ride aggressively and animate this year’s Tirreno-Adriatico. On paper, stage 3 was set to be one for the sprinters. However, Domingos Gonçalves and his three breakaway companions came very close to taking the peloton by surprise as they were caught with only one kilometer left to go. Fernando Gaviria (Etixx Quickstep) won the stage, while Domingos’ twin brother, José Gonçalves, finished 12th in the sprint as best Caja Rural - Seguros RGA rider on the stage.

 

Sports director Eugenio Goikoetxea said:

 

“What an emotional fight we witnessed between the breakaway and the peloton on the final kilometers. It was a shame it didn’t work out but we can still be very satisfied with the performance by Domingos today.”

 

The breakaway took off right from the start of the stage. Even though the chances of succeeding were very slim, Gonçalves never stopped believing they could make it all the way.

 

Domingos Gonçalves said:

 

“The four of us worked together well but the peloton went very fast on the final kilometers. I felt good on the bike and together with the Cannondale rider (Davide Villella), we gave everything we had to make it all the way. At the end, the peloton caught us just one kilometer from the line, which leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.”

 

Saturday’s stage 4 of Tirreno-Adriatico finishes in Foligno, where the riders take on a challenging 42 km long circuit with two short but steep climbs to overcome. The course suits numerous Caja Rural - Seguros RGA riders and the team will be eager to fight for glory once again.

 

Dimension Data: This stage was not hard enough to suit Boasson Hagen

Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka were riding for Edvald Boasson Hagen once again today. Mark Cavendish did a great turn to bring the team to the front of the race with 1km to go. Mark Renshaw then went shoulder to shoulder with the Tinkoff riders as they went under the flamme rouge, with Boasson Hagen in tow.

 

As the sprint opened up the final was not as hard as the African Team had hoped and Boasson Hagen lost a few places while Gaviria charged ahead to take a good victory. The Norwegian champion went on to cross the line in 15th position as our highest placed rider on the day.

 

“The stage went pretty much as planned. We always knew it was going to be a hectic final. The finish wasn’t quite as hard as we had hoped. Edvald got dropped off at the bottom of that final kicker with 600m to go but got swamped. By all accounts it was a really hectic final and probably wasn’t the perfect finish for Eddy but he did the best sprint he could,” sports director Roger Hammond said.

 

Nail-biting finale for CCC in Tirreno-Adriatico

Stage 3 was a real nail-bitter for CCC Sprandi Polkowice fans. Adrian Honkisz made it into the breakaway of the day and was caught within the final 2 kilometers.

 

“The beginning of the stage was up-and-down and the pace was very high. First it was Jarosław Marycz, who attacked, but his move was neutralized. Then I tried to pull away and after one of my attempts I managed to break clear. 4 other guys joined me, but later one of them, the rider from Bardiani-CSF, had a mechanical and had to wait for the pack,” Adrian Honkisz said afterwards.

 

“When we established a solid lead we sat up and we tried to find the right rhythm. We went all in again in the last 50 kilometers. The closer it got to the line, the harder we pushed. Unfortunately with 10 kilometers remaining the Androni Giocattoli – Sidermec rider stopped cooperating, so only three of us did the work in the break. We had to go flat out to keep our dreams alive.

 

“We believed that we could outsmart the bunch until the very end. We had a tailwind and we were going 55-60 km/h, so the peloton had to go more than 60 to close the gap. Eventually we got caught 1.5km from the finish. If we all contributed equally to the work, we would have had much bigger chances.”

 

Łukasz Owsian was a  non-starter due to left wrist injury, which he sustained at the end of stage 2. Simone Ponzi finished in 16th, making him the fastest man of the day of CCC Sprandi Polkowice. Davide Rebellins is 39th (1:13 back) in the general classification.

 

Tirreno-Adriatico sprint too risky for Van Avermaet

“Tirreno-Adriatico is a nervous race and today was a nervous stage. On paper it looked pretty easy but we had a bit of wind and you could tell by the way the peloton was riding that everyone was a bit stressed,” BMC Racing Team Sports Director Max Sciandri explained.

 

“Again we had two goals for the stage. The first being the stage win with Greg but in the end it was decided that the sprint was too risky, and then of course always protecting Tejay van Garderen and keeping him safe.”

 

Davide Villella ready to try again after near-miss at Tirreno-Adriatico

Davide Villella forced his way into the Tirreno Adriatico stage three early escape of five riders. For a few minutes in the finale, it looked as if the break may have ridden away with the stage. It was only in the final kilometre that the peloton proved fully capable of shutting down the move.

 

Villella said:

 

"We spoke this morning with our sport director who said today was a good opportunity go in a breakaway because the final could be a favor for the early move. The collaboration in the group was good. We knew it was going to be difficult in the final, but we all did our best until the last kilometre. When the bunch caught the break, my thought was: 'I will try again in the next day.' "

 

Fernando Gaviria (Etixx QuickStep) won Friday's stage. Ramunas Navardauskas was best-placed ‪#‎GreenArgyle in the bunch sprint with 23rd place.

 

Movistar stay safe on quiet day at Tirreno-Adriatico

There was no big drama on stage three of Tirreno-Adriatico -176km from Castelnuovo to Montalto di Castro - as Fernando Gaviria (EQS) won the day’s sprint following a race very much under control for Alejandro Valverde’s Movistar Team. The calm, consistent work from the likes of Amador, Sütterlin, Dowsett and Sutherland, excellent support for the flat from Garcia Acosta and Jaimerena’s group, means the Spanish champion can move ahead and focus on tomorrow’s long ride towards the hills near Foligno, prelude to San Vicino’s mountain contest on Sunday.

 

Ill Sam Bennett forced to brak in Tirren-Adriatico sprint

Bora-Argon 18 sprinter Sam Bennett had a little bit of bad luck. He had to brake at the bottom of the uphill finish in a positioning fight and therefore lost the speed and momentum. No speed, no result. In the end he had to settle for 33rd position in today’ss stage.

 

“You could see already during the day that Sam was not in best shape. He is not at 100% due to a little cold. But at WorldTour level there is really no room for any weaknesses. Over the climb he had to fight and he lost a lot of energy there I think. Paul (Voss) and Rudi (Selig) positioned him in the end quite well, but when he had to brae at the bottom of the uphill finish every chance was lost,” sports director Enrico Poitschke said.

 

“The position was ok with 1k to go. At least a top ten finish would have been possible from there. But when I had to break, I lost all the speed. There was no way to fight back after that,” Bennett said.

 

Astana hope for no snow in Tirreno-Adriatico queen stage

"It was an easy stage,” said Astana’s Gatis Smukulis. “Despite the high speed. The legs turn better and better. I will be for the team in the next two stages and then try to make a good final time trial.”

"It was to be an intemediate stage,” said sports director Paolo Slongo. “Good for sprinters and so it was. For the team was important not to have mechanical problems and avoid crashes. Everything went well and in the end. The day wasas we wanted."

 

"For us tomorrow will be another day of transition,” said Slongo. “Towards the decisive stage on Sunday with the finish, I hope with no snow, at 1200 meters on Monte San Vicino."

 

Alberto Losada abandons Tirreno-Adriatico after stage 2 crash

Alberto Losada did not start the stage. After his crash in Thursday's stage, Losada suffered from his head injuries and was unable to eat or sleep. The Catalan rider headed home and will return to competition in his Tour of Catalunya.

 

A boring day for Pinot
For Thibaut Pinot and his teammates, the third stage of Tirreno-Adriatico was a job well done. All focus is on the fifth stage which will be decisive for the general classification.

 

"Before such days, says FDJ sports director Yvon Madiot," Thibaut is never very motivated because it's boring but he knows that he must be vigilant in a race where there is a lot of fight . Here, for these flat stages, there are large teams of riders who know how to use their elbows.

 

 

"It was a day 'wih nothing to report. It was not very interesting. On Saturday, it will be almost the same even if there is a climb on a final circuit to cover three times."

 

Pinot is ninth overall, his lieutenant Sébastien Reichenbach is tenth.