Gaviria wins final stage in Provence

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Fernando Gaviria was generous in gifting the stage victory on Wednesday to his Etixx-Quickstep teammate Davide Martinelli, but on the final stage to Marseille the win was Gaviria's alone.

Bursting forth in the final few hundred meters, none could match the Colombian, who had plenty of time to celebrate ahead of Danilo Wyss (BMC) and Francesco Gavazzi (Androni-Giocattoli). Thomas Voeckler (Direct Energie) held onto the peloton to win the overall classification over Petr Vakoc (Etixx-Quickstep).

“It was a nice way to end a really hard stage," Gaviria said of his victory.

"With 25 kilometers to go, a couple of riders, including Petr, attacked in order to shake up the GC. At that moment I was sitting at the back of the peloton, waiting to see how things will unfold. Unfortunately for Petr, he was caught, which meant I came to the front, and helped by the guys, who rode hard and protected me, managed to take the win."

Gaviria's form looks to be strong ahead of the UCI Track World Championships, where he will look to defend his title in the omnium.

"When I left Colombia, I didn’t know where I was with my condition, but in this race I got a satisfying answer. I’m eager to take it to the track and see what happens there. After the Worlds, I will return to the road and continue working hard, to help the team get other good results."

#TourLaProvence stage 3 finish
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