Skip to main content

Eneco Tour 2016: Stage 3

Refresh

Live coverage of stage 3 of the Eneco Tour, 186 kilometres from Blankenberge to Ardooie. 

 

104km remaining from 186km

The best-placed man in this move is Elmiger, who started the day 23 seconds down on race leader Rohan Dennis (BMC). Dennis impressed in winning yesterday's short time trial but with a team time trial to come on Friday and some rugged terrain on the race's final weekend, he still has rivals aplenty for the overall honours.

 

The general classification picture was as follows ahead of today's stage:

 

93km remaining from 186km

90km remaining from 186km

86km remaining from 186km

Arashiro's transfer to Bahrain Merida for 2017 was confirmed earlier this week, and it seems that he will be joined on Vincenzo Nibali's new team by Ion Izagirre, who is ready to break his contract with Movistar to make the switch. Igor Anton is also set to move to Bahrain Merida. Dan Benson has the story here.

70km remaining from 186km

LottoNL-Jumbo are among the teams forcing the issue at the head of the peloton, with stage 1 winner Dylan Groenewegen in mind. The Dutch champion produced a fine sprint to beat Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis), Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) and a host of other top sprinters on Monday.

63km remaining from 186km

59km remaining from 186km

The Greipel-Kittel duel is one of the most compelling subplots of this Eneco Tour, even if each man fell well short in Monday's bunch sprint. Greipel has voiced his frustration at the German cycling federation's delay in deciding on its leader for the Worlds. "This is just a very awkward situation for both of us," Greipel said. The national coach is Etixx-QuickStep's Jan Schaffrath and, mindful that he has a dog in this particular fight, he has reported conceded the decision-making process to Cannondale-Drapac DS Andreas Klier and a four-man German federation panel in order to avoid a conflict of interests.

50km remaining from 186km

BMC have been well-placed near the front for much of the day, but have found willing allies in the shape of the sprinters' teams to bear the brunt of the pace-setting. “It’s going to put pressure on the team to perform every day but we’re here to win with either myself or Greg Van Averamaet," Dennis said of taking the overall lead yesterday. "The team time trial will be another big day for GC, so it’s just about making sure we all stay up front and don’t lose time each day.”

39km remaining from 186km

35km remaining from 186km

34km remaining from 186km

31km remaining from 186km

Trek-Segafredo and Cannondale-Drapac lead the bunch into Ardooie for the first time. The intensity is rising steadily, and the break's lead is down to just 1:20.

29km remaining from 186km

27km remaining from 186km

25km remaining from 186km

Elmiger leads Asselman and McNally through the third sprint to pick up the maximum 9 seconds, seemingly with the blessing of his breakaway companions. That bonus will move Elmiger up to fourth overall this evening, assuming he finishes in the main peloton if and when this break is swept up.

In the main peloton, a delegation from Team Sky looks to shepherd Danny van Poppel into position. Six days on from the Fancy Bears hacking group's revelation regarding Bradley Wiggins' use of intramuscular corticosteroid injections with a TUE in 2011, 2012 and 2013, meanwhile, Team Sky manager Dave Brailsford has - remarkably for a team that so champions the concept of transparency - yet to speak on the matter. 

20km remaining from 186km

19km remaining from 186km

17km remaining from 186km

15km remaining from 186km

Tinkoff, BMC, Cannondale-Drapac and Etixx-QuickStep have all begun to mass on the front. As the bunch takes the bell, the pace is beginning to ratchet up in earnest.

14km remaining from 186km

Tony Martin (Etixx-QuickStep) is the next man to come through and his searing effort should take a chunk out of the break's lead.

12km remaining from 186km

11km remaining from 186km

10km remaining from 186km

9km remaining from 186km

8km remaining from 186km

7km remaining from 186km

6km remaining from 186km

6km remaining from 186km

5km remaining from 186km

4km remaining from 186km

3km remaining from 186km

3km remaining from 186km

2km remaining from 186km

2km remaining from 186km

1km remaining from 186km

1km remaining from 186km

This hesitation could be fatal for the break. They can't afford to watch one another as the bunch closes in...

The bunch is upon the break just as they enter the finishing straight...

Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) wins stage 3 of the Eneco Tour.

Danny van Poppel (Sky) took second ahead of Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis). 

Sagan came through very, very late in that sprint, charging through a gap that scarcely existed to come past the remnants of the break and then Bouhanni and Van Poppel.

That's quite a statement of intent from Sagan ahead of the World Championships in Qatar, though the escapees will harbour regrets about their hesitation in the final kilometre, not least McNally, who had the legs to hold on for fifth place.

Groenewegen took fourth place incidentally, but it was a disappointing outing once more for Greipel and Kittel, who appeared to get themselves boxed in during that fraught finishing sprint. Sagan, by contrast, somehow managed to poke out a gap and slip through it. The Slovak is watching the images on a television screen behind the podium. Not even Sagan, it seems, fully understands how he managed to pull that win out of the bag.

There were shades of Dan McLay's obstacle-course sprint win at GP Denain about Sagan's victory. 150 metres from home, he seemed to be hemmed in, but then the seas parted slightly and Sagan navigated a safe course to the finish.

Result:

General classification after stage 3:

 

Thanks for joining our live coverage from the Eneco Tour this afternoon. We'll be back with more tomorrow, and in the meantime, you can find a full report, results and pictures here.

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Join now for unlimited access

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1