Stybar wins stage three at Tour of Poland

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Omega Pharma-QuickStep's Zdenek Stybar sprinted to victory on the cobbles of Cieszyn, dashing the hopes of a two-man break in the final 200m as he roared by to take the win in stage 3 at the 2012 Tour of Poland. Finishing second behind the cyclo-cross star turned road rider was Italy's Francesco Gavazzi (Astana) in second and compatriot Sacha Modolo (Colnago-CSF Inox) in third.

The final kilometre was a tough one on the riders after over 200km of racing and the run-in to the finish took place on cobbles. It was Stybar who finished strongest and he stepped up to the plate for his team after Tom Boonen suffered a crash and injured his ribs. The two-time cyclo cross world champion was enjoying his second road win of the year, having taken a stage earlier this season at the Four Days of Dunkirk.

"I'm very happy, I wanted to win this stage and I managed to do so," said Stybar. "Today's stage crossed the border into the Czech Republic and along the route I was really feeling the love from the home crowds. I'm also happy because I won my first UCI WorldTour race. The level here is very high, it's another important step in my career. This victory gave me more confidence.

"I thank the team, which did a great job. Matteo [Trentin] put me and [Michal] Kwiatkowski in the best position possible before the cobblestones at 1km to go. At 500 meters to go, I let [Moreno] Moser and Gavazzi pass me and I waited for a good moment. I made my move just before the last corner and I won. Today Michal helped me win the stage and I hope I can return the favour by helping him win the Tour de Pologne."

Italy's Moreno Moser (Liquigas) consolidated his narrow lead at the top of the general classification by finishing fifth. The young Italian leads Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) by one second and Lars Boom (Rabobank) by six seconds. All of the top three in the general classification finished in the top ten on the stage.

"I knew it was going to be a challenging stage, however I liked this route and it was well suited to my skills," said Moser. "My teammates did a great job, first in closing in on the break and then in keeping me ahead for the final. I raced with the objective of hanging on to the yellow jersey but I won't deny I was also gunning for victory.

"Tomorrow at Katowice should be a calm stage for me, suited to sprinters. It will be important to race carefully, especially in the final, trying not to lose valuable seconds because afterward there will be two decisive mountain stages, first in Zakopane and then in Bukowina."

The day's early breakaway was comprised of Fumiyuki Beppu (Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team), Gabriele Bosisio (Utensilnord Named) and Mateusz Taciak (Polish National Team) and the trio's advantage stretched to nearly 17 minutes. Nonetheless the peloton steadily ate into their lead and the escape was neutralised in the stage's endgame, at the start of the three 6.3km finishing circuits in Cieszyn.

Counterattacks were immediately launched and a new breakaway trio formed at the head of affairs on the technical, undulating parcours of the finishing circuits. Matteo Trentin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), Jussi Veikkanen (FDJ-Big Mat) and Marek Rutkiewicz (Polish National Team) escaped the clutches of the peloton and continued to lead into the final circuit.

As a fractured peloton was bearing down on the three leaders, Rutkiewicz dropped his breakaway companions on a climb in his bid to break the ProTour team stranglehold on stage wins thus far at the Tour of Poland. Shortly after going solo, however, the Pole was joined by Sergio Henao (Sky) who had jumped from the field and bridged across the tenuous gap.

While the lead duo dug deep on the uphill, cobbled finale, the final surge from the peloton proved too great as the escapees were swept up inside the final 200 meters. Rutkiewicz would finish in seventh, Henao in ninth, while Stybar led the charge across the finish line for stage honours.