Tour de France
Australian rider Caleb Ewan slalomed through the bunch to win a sprint finish and claim the third stage of the Tour de France yesterday.
Julian Alaphilippe held onto the yellow jersey that he claimed with a dramatic stage victory a day earlier.
With about 100 metres to go, Ewan trailed five other riders before slinging himself through a narrow slice of road near the advertising barriers. Then – after more than five hours in the saddle – Ewan darted to the left to overcome Sam Bennett and claim his fourth career stage win in the Tour by more than a wheel.
Ewan’s top speed in the finale reached 68.8 kph (42.7 mph).
Bennett crossed second and Nizzolo came third – both with the same time as Ewan.
Ewan, who rides for the Lotto-Soudal team, won three stages last year, including the coveted final leg on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
Alaphilippe crossed with the main pack and retained a foursecond lead over Adam Yates, with Marc Hirschi still third overall, seven seconds behind.
After the opening two stages in the Mediterranean city of Nice, the race veered inland over a 198-kilometre (123mile) route to Sisteron, which is labelled the “Gateway to Provence.”
The route featured four minor climbs before a flat finish suited to sprinters.
Stage 4 on Tuesday features the race’s first uphill finish with a climb to Orcières-Merlette that should force the overall favourites – such as defending champion Egan Bernal – into action.
The three-week Tour, which was postponed from its usual July slot due to the coronavirus, ends in Paris on Sept. 20.