Sagan gets rewarded for patience

Slovakian rider waits for the right time to make a move and wins Stage 3 of race.

Reigning world champion Peter Sagan of Slovakia waited until the final seconds to make his move Tuesday in Stage 3 of the 12th Amgen Tour of California.

After facing a headwind for most of the 120-mile course from Pismo Beach to Morro Bay, Sagan weaved through the pack with less than a mile to go and improved his position by 20 spots to ride among the top 15 cyclists.

With the finish about 2,000 feet away, Sagan, a member of team BoraHansgrohe, sprinted uphill and was shoulder to shoulder with several riders before he accelerated and won the longest stage of the tour by a bicycle length ahead of second-place finisher Rick Zabel of Germany, who rides for Team Katusha Alpecin. UAE Abu Dhabi team member Simone Consonni of Italy placed third.

“My teammates helped to get me in the right position for the last run, and I have to thank them very much for that,” Sagan said.

Sagan has won a record 16 stages in the Tour of California.

However, after three days of racing, it’s Sagan’s teammate, Rafal Majka of Poland, who is the tour’s overall leader.

Early in Tuesday’s race, Ben Wolfe of the United States led a breakaway with Danny Pate, David Lozano, Federico Zurlo and Sean Bennett. The break led through most of the course and even gained more than a five-minute advantage.

However, with 34 miles to ride, the gap closed to a little over three minutes and with 12 miles until the finish, the breakaway lead dwindled to 50 seconds.

A tailwind aided the final sprint through Morro Bay.

After three days in Northern and Central California, the Tour of California continues Wednesday when it enters the Southland and cyclists travel 99 miles from Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita.

On Thursday, riders will climb 12,000 feet from Ontario to the top of Mt. Baldy and an individual time trial will take place Friday at Big Bear Lake.