Zardini Wins Tour Of Britain Stage Three

Last updated : 09 September 2014 By Covsupport News Service

Edoardo Zardini of Bardiani CSF has won the third stage of the Friends Life Tour Of Britain.

Stage Three was from Newtown to the Tumble in Abergavenny and 179.9kms long.

Omega Pharma Quick Step's Mark Renshaw, the new race leader after his win on stage two led the 116 other riders out on a sunny day heading for the first climb of the day - the Category 2 climb at Nueadd-goch Bank after 8.4kms.

Manuel Boaro of Tinkoff Saxo took the six points on that climb, followed by King Of The Mountains leader Mark McNally of An Post. Those two formed a break with Tom Stewart (MGT) Seb Lander (BMC) Mike Cumings (Rapha Condor) and Yanto Barker (RAL) which saw them take a two minute lead when Boaro took the second climb at Knighton again ahead of McNally.

it was the same on third climb at Beggars Bush with Boaro taking more points ahead of McNally who led the competition by 35 points to Boaro's fourteen.

McNally from Crosby, did not bother contesting the Yodel sprint after 80kms and left Boaro take that ahead of Lander and Cumings.

Into the final seventy kilometres of the stage and this front group of six had a lead of 2.18.

In Abergavenny, and it was Seb Lander of BMC who took the Yodel Sprint points this time, beating Boaro and Tom Stewart in front of big crowds.

The lead dropped to 1.19 with 46.5kms left and five kilometres later, Lander and Boaro contested the intermediate sprint in Monmouthshire with Lander just winning.

Lander and Boaro decided that this was the time to attack and they managed to get a few seconds clear of the four British riders chasing them down.

Stewart and Cumings then jumped across to Boaro who had shed Lander as Mark Cavendish took his turn on the front of the peloton which was 2.22 further down the road.

Just under thirty kilometres to go and the gap was dropping down rapidly and a minute was pulled back in five kilometres.

Boaro decided that the best option was now to go away on his own as the peloton and he stayed away until 6.8kms to go when the Tinkoff Saxo rider was finally re-absorbed into the pack.

Onto The Tumble climb and Jack Bauer of Garmin Sharp was on the front with Zardini of Bardiani, as the peloton split all over the road.

Eduardo Zardini dropped Bauer with 2.7kms left and was able to build a fifteen second gap.

Nicholas Roche of Tinkoff Saxo turned a huge gear and passed Zardini going into the final two kilometres of the stage.

Half a kilometre later and Zardini had caught back up to the Irishman as David Lopez and Sir Bradley Wiggins closed. 

The Italian Zardini attacked again and was first under the flam rouge and kept going to win in 4.35.02. Michael Kwiatkowski was second, seven seconds back with Nicholas Roche third with Bradley Wiggins in fifth.

Zardini now leads the race by thirteen seconds from Kwiatkowski and seventeen seconds from Nicholas Roche, Sir Bradley Wiggins is fifth some 24 seconds down.

Zardini said to Eurosport: "This is a fantastic day for me and my team. Thanks to the work of my team and I was able to go. We will will try and wear this journey to the end of the race.

"It is a great way to   This is the most important win of my career and I am really happy."