Yesterday’s stage winner Simon Yates successfully retained his overall race lead on today’s 162km third stage at the Tour of the Alps, thanks to the work of his Team BikeExchange companions, riding throughout the day to keep control of the breakaway.
The rolling stage began with a large breakaway group of 15 riders escaping early on, opening a steady lead and remaining intact until the race entered the final 40km. The group slowly whittled down to just four riders as the finish line drew closer, with Team BikeExchange spending most of the day at the head of affairs, controlling the distance to the leaders to keep Yates safe.
The 28-year-old Brit now heads into tomorrow’s penultimate stage with a gap of 45 seconds over his nearest rival with two hard, but short stages to come.
Simon Yates – Race Leader
“It was a tough stage, but the team was really in control and we did a good job. There were a lot of guys trying for the breakaway because I think today was the last chance. The team did a really good job today to control so today wasn’t so difficult for me.
“I felt the effort from yesterday, but I didn’t have to go into the wind and now we look forward to tomorrow and the final stage. Tomorrow, it’s going to be a very difficult day. The race is not finished, I have a good gap, but you never know.”
Matt White – Head Sport Director
“t was a very hectic start today, a lot of attacks on the first climb and then finally a group got away over the top. It was a strong group of guys and we had some work to do but the guys did a good job, and we didn’t need to bring the break back for the sprint as we are here to win the tour.
All the boys rode very well. This is why we came here; it is all part of the process to get ready for the Giro d’Italia. Tomorrow is a tough day, there’s a very tough climb in the final and I think we will see the best climbers come to the fore again.”
2021 Tour of the Alps – Stage 3 Results:
- Gianni Moscon 4:04:25
- Felix Großschartner ST
- Michael Storer +0:01
- Simon Yates (Team BikeExchange) +0:49
General Classification after stage 3:
- Simon Yates (Team BikeExchange) 10:52:10
- Pavel Sivakov +0:45
- Pello Bilbao +1:04
