Navardauskas wins stage 3 time trial, grabs hold of overall lead in San Juan

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Ramunas Navardauskas won the time trial on stage 3 of the Vuelta a San Juan on Wednesday, giving the Bahrain-Merida team its first ever victory, and the Lithuanian moved into the overall lead of the race for his efforts.

The 28-year-old clocked a time of 14:03 on the 11.9km out-and-back course in San Juan, raced on road bikes, with Bauke Mollema finishing second at three seconds and his Trek-Segafredo teammate Matthias Brandle finished third at seven seconds, a fraction of a second quicker than French neo-pro Remi Cavagna (Quick-Step Floors).

Navardauskas leads the race overall by the same margins and could now become Bahrain-Merida’s de facto leader as Vincenzo Nivali finished 35 seconds down. The time trial was one of two crucial days from a general classification perspective, and it remains to be seen how they play things on the stage 5 summit finish which, although over 2,500 metres of altitude, is said to be not very selective.

"On the way out there was a tailwind, but on the way back it was a headwind, and there were a couple of bumps on the road too, which took out a bit of speed," said Navardauskas.

"It’s the first race of year and every rider is in a different shape. You’re always nervous before the first race because you don’t know how your legs are, but the results show you if you’re ready or not."

Elia Viviani, the race leader overnight, was hoping to use his track pursuit legs in the faint hope of defending his blue jersey, but despite a spirited display the Italian finished 35 seconds down. Tom Boonen and Fernando Gaviria were also in the top three overnight thanks to bonus seconds and while Boonen rode well to keep himself in the top 10, Gaviria didn't meet the expectations of those who thought he'd be suited to the short, flat course. 

Time trial bikes weren't permitted, so riders rocked up on road bikes, all kitted out with clip-on tri-bars and some with disc wheels on the back. Despite singing the praises of disc brakes in becoming the first rider to win a road race on them, Boonen couldn't fit a disc wheel with his new braking system. 

For a good hour the 15-minute mark wasn't breached, until Walter Vargas, the Colombian national champion, came and blew 42 seconds off the fastest time to set a proper benchmark of 14:20. Cavagna was the man to knock him out of the hotseat but Navardauskas was soon across the line. 

There were tense moments as Mattias Brandle neared the line but the Austrian champion just missed out, with Mollema showing how far he has come against the clock by beating his teammate - a former Hour Record holder.

Thursday's stage 4 is another one for the sprinters, while the key GC showdown will come on the Alto de Colorado on stage 5. 

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