Alberio grabs another victory in Rio

Race leader Tomas Alberio (Trevigiani Dynamon Bottoli) won his second consecutive stage at the Tour do Rio, holding Team Type 1 at bay to the line once more. This time it was Kenneth Hanson who finished second, putting him in fifth overall, while Team Type 1 teammate Chris Jones – who was second on Wednesday's opening stage – remains 14 seconds off the overall lead with three stages to go.

"We are a little short-staffed with only five riders here against many eight-man teams," Jones said. "But the guys are doing a solid job so far."

Hanson said he might have earned his first victory in a road race this season had the course markings been more accurate. "The 200 metres-to-go sign was actually at 75 metres," Hanson said. "So I didn't even get to open up my sprint. It was a bit confusing and frustrating."

The 161 km race was expected to shake up the overall standings. But Hanson said the climbs were not as daunting as the race bible professed, leading to a field sprint. He sits in fifth overall, 1:10 minutes off the lead, and will wear the green points jersey Friday.

"I feel good and I'm climbing pretty well," he said. "Chris is riding really well. He was impressive at the Cascade Cycling Classic last week. So if I have good legs, I'll help him as much as I can."

Friday's third stage is a 94-mile (152 km) race that goes uphill almost immediately, snaking its way from Três Rios to Nova Friburgo. "It's going to be really, really tough," Hanson said.

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