Swift Second On Coppi e Bartali Stage Three

Last updated : 29 March 2014 By Covsupport News Service

Team Sky's Ben Swift finished second on the third stage of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali.

Team Sky's Peter Kennaugh led going into the third stage which started and finished in Crevalcore, not too far from Bologna.

Neither Irishman Phillip Deignan of Team Sky or Astana's Vincenzo Nibali signed on before this 158.4km stage or twelve laps of a 13.2km circuit and saw eighteen riders in De Ieso, Zilioli, Pozdnyakov, Debesay, Williams, Van Hecke, De Negri, Vendolsky, Cambianca, Franzoi, Klimiankou, Tedeschi, Pettiti, Collodel, Mengardo, Maddaluno, Chirico and Donato only allowed to be 1.07 ahead after 39kms.

After 67kms, it had gone out to 1.32 and entering the final fifty kilometres, the lead was down to fifty seconds.

That was down to thirty seconds and with 25kms remaining, Team Sky had shut down the break altogether.

The peloton split into two groups with 94 riders in the first group and this group provided the sprint trains. Team Sky started to lead out Ben Swift but Cannondale's Elia Viviani took the win ahead of Swift in 3.15.19, followed by Gasparrini, Wackerman and Belletti.

Peter Kennaught keep his leaders jersey with a 42 second lead over Francisco Bongiorno of Bardiani CSF.