Neil Van der Ploeg won today's stage of the Tour de Timor to consolidate his overall lead, finishing the 67.9km test in 2:47:55 to average 26.4km/h. Mark Frendo finished 1:04 behind his coutryman as the previous day's winner, Benjamin Grieve-Johnson, took third.
Two hundred and sixty eight riders finished yesterday's stage and today set out from the beaches of Betano into the Cabliki mountain range. The horror ascent combined with thin atmosphere at the top of the 1835-metre peak to push the field to the limit. And then there was the murderous winding descent down into Maubisse - a partly-sealed road with hidden stretches of gravel that saw riders travelling at up to 70 kph needing to stop quickly. Many failed!
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| Header Cell - Column 0 | Header Cell - Column 1 | Header Cell - Column 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neil Van der Ploeg (Aus) MAD DOGS | 2:47:55 |
| 2 | Mark Frendo (Aus) Shortis Cycle and Tri | 0:01:04 |
| 3 | Benjamin Grieve-Johnson (Aus) Praties Cycling | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
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