Lars van der Haar sprinted to second on stage 3 at the Skoda-Tour de Luxembourg behind winner Andre Greipel. The young and talented CX specialist once again showed his road racing capabilities.

Stage 3 started in Eschweiler to finish 161.3km further in Diekirch. Eight registered hills were on the program.

It was a fast start with many attacks. After 25km a group of 7 riders got clear from the bunch. Wanty -Groupe Gobert and Cult Energy Pro Cycling controlled the pace and didn’t gave the escapees too much space as the gap was never more than 3 minutes.

Member of the breakaway Rodolfo Torres (Team Columbia) fought for the mountain points and from the final GPM of the day he tried to go solo for the win. It was a close call as he was caught back in the final kilometer and the bunch sprint would decide today’s winner. For the second time this week, Andre Greipel (Lotto – Soudal) was the strongest in the sprint. Van der Haar sprinted to second position, a great performance.

Linus Gerdemann (Cult Energy Pro Cycling) remains the leader in the general classification.

“It was a difficult start of the stage since it took a while for the break to get loose. The pace was steady but high in the bunch, which was ideal for me because that always helps me to stay focused,” said van der Haar.

“At the local laps, which included a steep climb, I was able to follow the first large group. When the breakaway group (except from Torres) was caught back we decided to give it all for the sprint and the team assisted me.

“In the sprint we could not get into the right position and we had to start from 8th place at 125m from the line. I had enough power to sprint to second place behind Greipel, who won quite easily. Too bad we weren’t closer, but it’s not a shame to get beaten by such a great sprinter.

“I am happy with the confidence the team gave me today as they worked hard for me. I really appreciate that.”

Coach Addy Engels added: “Our aim was to be in the right breakaway and to sprint with Lars, since the course was too difficult for Ramon [Sinkeldam]. The first target didn’t succeed because the breakaway included guys that were close in the GC, so they would not have a chance to hit the finish.

“The second target did succeed to our satisfaction as Georg [Preidler], Johannes [Fröhlinger] and Carter [Jones] assisted Lars in the finale. After a strong sprint Lars got second.”