After the W Clarke bolt from the blue of yesterday, there was no way that Stage 3 of the TDU was going to be anything but a bunch sprint, and all of the key teams worked together to guarantee this today, with Andre Greipel from Lotto again the winner.
The big man can sprint! Will he finally threaten Cav this: year?
I certainly hope so — the best races are built around rivalries, not processions.
Hearing the big man’s comments today on how his team was decimated (not literally (for the nerds reading this)) in the Stage 1 crash, perhaps Lotto allowing yesterday’s break to go wasn’t so much a bluff as a necessity. We shall see if something similar to Stage 2 happens again tomorrow on Stage 4.
The stage has the shape of a bunch sprint, is only 130km long, and going on form, how could anyone bet against Greipel doing it all again tomorrow?
The winner of the whole race will likely be decided on Willunga Hill the following day.
We have had Valverde letting everyone know he is in good nick, Gerrans showing he has good legs with his nationals win last week, Rogers and Hesjedal being the class acts they are and Sanchez being the gun ready to explode.
It is highly unlikely the sprinters will get a chance at the overall, and so tomorrow they won’t leave anything in the tank. Makes for good bike racing!!
Read more from Toby at his site, Tobbloganning.