Eibegger has beaten the peloton over a second, Čanecký ended up with fifth position

Eibegger has beaten the peloton over a second, Čanecký ended up with fifth position

193 kilometers. That’s the length of the third and longest stage of the 60th year of the Tour of Slovakia, which lead the cyclists from Štrbské Pleso across Liptov to Orava’s beautiful and picturesque village Zuberec. The package had been torn already in High Tatra’s. Before it, several leaks had occured, the main motivation for them were the mountain premiums. Italian Antonio Santoro (Meridiana Kamen)has won the first one, the second got Austrian Stephan Rabitsch (Felbermayr Simplon Wels). Slovak’s Patrik Tybor (Dukla) and Marek Čanecký (Amplatz – BMC) also attacked but the competition’s units kept them in check.

In the next progress, a strong leak with nine members was created. Dutch Peter Schulting (Parkhotel Valkenburg) and Italian Alex Turrin (Unieuro Wilier) were part of it and endangered several leaders from the top ten. They were dragged mainly by the Ukrainian team Kolss-BDC. Tactical battle in the vicinity of Hybe village had stopped, it froze on the two minute gap. In the end, Schulting has won the sprinting Premium in Liptovský Hrádok and erased at leas three seconds. The group of nine was caught approximately 95 kilometers before the finish line at the Slovakian Sea, Liptovská Mara. The peloton was fighting for the second sprinting Premium in Bešeňová. Vojtech Hačecký (Whirlpool – Author) has won it and Ukrainian Vitalij Buts (Kolss-BDC) has gained two bonus seconds  and is second in an overall ranking. Two final mountain premium’s were won by Jhonnatan Narvaez Prado (Klein Constantia) from Ecuador. Prado also made it first through the notorious rising to Huty, where there are passages with more than 10% rising.

The last sprinting premium was ruled by the trio of Maximilian Schachmann (Klein Constantia), Markus Eibegger (Felbermayr Simplon Wels) and Daniel Pearson (Team Wiggins). They remained in an inconspicuos leak during the final 50 kilometers. The leak didn’t have a lead with several minutes but the peloton underestimated it and was also weakened after a whole day of resisting the other attempts. Fortune favored the bold in the end and the attacker had rejoiced in Zuberec again. Austrian Markus Eibegger crossed the finish line one second before the sprinting peloton and had jumped to the sixth position in an general classification.

Slovenian Jan Tratnik (Amplatz – BMC) ended up second, Czech František Sisr (Klein Constancia) got the third position. Both of them were attacking before, which shows their versatility. Talented Sisr got the front of point classification. Tratnik has sixteen point in Fortin classification. The best Slovak of this stage, Marek Čanecký, had finished on the fifth position in Zuberec, and along with Patrik Tybor remains close behind the top ten. Mauro Finetto had kept his yellow jersey, but the top five remains in range of twenty seconds and everything is open. Even in the mountain competition, whose leader is Helmut Trettwer (four points ahead of Narvaez Prado).

The longest third stage has certainly interested us with the fact that there were no reported falls. Let us hope that dramatic cycling, but without health issues, will continue with the fourth stage from Zuberec to Bojnice.




 


 

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