Keukeleire sprints to first win this season

Jens Keukeleire of Cofidis won the sprint from a 23-rider group to take the third stage of the Tour of Austria. Daryl Impey of Team NetApp was second, with Saxo Bank's Jonas Aaen Jörgensen third.

There was no change in the general classification, as all three top riders were in the group. Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana) maintains his 1:18 lead over Mauro Santambrogio (BMC) and 1:25 advantage on Leopold König (NetApp).

“Such stages suit me,” Keukeleire said. “I like the difficult Classics, like the Tour of Flanders or Three Days of West Flanders, which I won last year.” This was the 23-year-old Belgian's first victory of the season.

Today's stage featured two category one-ranked climbs, with the last one 40km from the uphill finish. A landslide on the second climb, the Pustertaler Höhenstrasse, caused a slight course change and added five kilometres to the route.

The stage started out with the category three ranked Pass Thurn, and by the time they had descended to the intermediate sprint at the bottom, a 13-rider strong group had formed. Bruno Pires (Leopard Trek), Michael Albasini and Martin Velits (HTC-Highroad), Mads Christensen (Saxo Bank-SunGard), Tiago Machado (RadioShack), Ian Stannard (Sky), Riccardo Chiarini (Androni-Giacattoli), Thomas Damuseau and Johannes Fröhlinger (Skil-Shimano), Nicolas Edet (Cofidis), Marcel Wyss (Geox), Bartosz Huzarski (NetApp) and David Wöhrer (Tyrol Team) built up a lead of up to 3:10.

A number of crashes along the way saw such riders as Daniel Schorn (NetApp), Yann Huguet (Skil-Shimano) and Thomas Bonnin (Skil-Shimano) being taken to hospital.

Astana chased furiously in defence of race leader Fredrik Kessiakoff, and with success. It looked as if the group would stay away until the end, but the peloton was determined and caught them near the end of the stage.

On the uphill push to the finish line the peloton splintered and it became every man for himself. Wyss was the first to go, and pulled away, again looking as if he would make it to the finish line alone. He was caught within sight of the finish line, however, and the 23-rider strong chase group swept past him to sprint for the win.

Impey's second place came on top of his participation in yesterday's break.  His legs “got better a the race went on,” he told Cyclingnews, and besides, “Uphill finishes suit me more, and finishing in a smaller group, too.”

The team's priority was protecting König's third place, and “because he was also in the bunch at the end, he was kind of safe, so I could go for myself and I'm pleased with the result,” the South African said.

The German Professional Continental team also had some bad luck on the day, as Daniel Schorn injured the knee upon which he had surgery earlier this year, splitting the scar.  He will remain in hospital overnight before going to his parents' to recuperate.  The 22-year-old will probably be out about three weeks, a NetApp spokeswoman said.