Coppi e Bartali: Ben Healy wins stage 3 on hilly Forlì circuits

Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) won the third stage at Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali after being part of a winning late-race breakaway on the challenging circuits in Forlì.

The three-rider move also included runner-up on the day, Domenico Pozzovivo (Israel-Premier Tech), while Mark Padun finished third, giving EF Education-EasyPost two riders on the podium.

Mauro Schmid (Soudal-QuickStep) finished in the main field behind the breakaway and maintained his lead in the overall classification heading into stage 4 in Fiorano Modenese on Friday.

The third stage at this year's Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali offered the field a challenging 139.7km circuit race in Forlì. The race ventured onto four large circuits that included a 4.6km climb over Monte Cavallo, followed by a downhill run-in to the finish line in Forli.

An unfortunate crash included six riders; Marc Oliver Pritzen (EF Education-NIPPO Development Team), Miguel Eduardo Flórez (GW Shimano-Sidermec), Davide Dapporto (Team Technipes #inEmiliaRomagna), Giacomo Garavaglia (Work Service-Vitalcare-Dynatek), Marco Murgano (Team Corratec), and Thomas Gloag (Jumbo-Visma).

Gloag received the worst of the accident and was forced to abandon the race. Jumbo-Visma later confirmed that he suffered a shin injury and was taken to the hospital for further treatment.

Mid-race, a nine-rider breakaway emerged that included Luke Rowe (Ineos Grenadiers), Antonio Nibali (Astana Qazaqstan Team), Patrick Gamper (Bora-hansgrohe), Lawson Craddock (Team Jayco AlUla), Dimitri Peyskens (Bingoal WB), Andrea Garosio (EOLO-Kometa), Luca Covili (Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè), Aloïs Charrin (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) and Jhonatan Restrepo (GW Shimano-Sidermec).

The breakaway pushed their lead out to 1:30 with just under 50km to go, as Walter Calzoni (Q36.5 Pro Cycling), third overall in the GC, attacked from the field to bridge to the leaders.

Although he successfully made it across, his efforts were fruitless as the field swallowed up the entire move within 25km from the finish.

Soudal-QuickStep led the reduced field through the end of the final circuit and toward the run-in to Forli, protecting Schmid's overall lead.

At 16km to go, EF Education teammates Healy and Padun and Israel-Premier Tech's Pozzovivo made a winning late-race attack, holding off the reduced field in a three-way sprint for the stage win.

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