In wet conditions, it was Leandre Bouchard (BH SR Suntour KMC) enjoying his third win from four stages at the Crocodile Trophy. Canadian Andrew L'Esperance (Forward Racing-Norco) was second again as the elite men's field was trimmed to five with the abandon of Anton Sintsov (JBG-2 Team).
At the half-way mark of the race, Bouchard leads L'Esperance by 1:32 minutes with Okamoto a distant third at over an hour and a half on GC. Haley Smith continues as the sole elite women in the race and is fifth in the overall standings.
"Doing it full-gas all the time would be tough. I just want to keep it safe, that helped a little bit to stay fresh and of course the mileage in my legs and the training over the years," a cautious Bouchard said ahead of the longest stage in the race, 125 km from Skybutry to Skybury.
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