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Wednesday, 6 April 2016

Cummings Win Stage in Pais Vasco

Steve Cummings

Steve Cummings took a tightly bunched leading pack by surprise with a powerful sprint in the last kilometre to win the third stage of the Vuelta al País Vasco.

The British rider finished in 5hrs 1min 57sec and lies 39th place overall. The 35-year-old, riding for the Dimension Data team, timed his final surge perfectly, outsprinting Simon Gerrans of Australia and Italy’s Fabio Fellinem, who were second and third respectively.

Both were given the same time as Cummings.

Spain’s Mikel Landa, riding for Team Sky, finished 37th in the same time but retained the leader’s jersey on the mountainous 193km ride from Vitoria to Lesaka that contained three category two climbs. The Dutchman Wilco Kelderman (Team LottoNl-Jumbo) lies second overall, while Landa’s Sky team-mate Sergio Henao is third.

“I’m happy with the way the race is going so far,” said Landa, who acknowledged Cummings had caught him off-guard.

Landa’s compatriot Alberto Contador, riding for Tinkoff, is fifth after a 16th-place finish on stage three, while Movistar’s Nairo Quintana is eighth after placing 26th, one behind Astana’s Fabio Aru, the winner of last year’s Vuelta a España. The Italian is down in 15th going into Thursday’s stage – the fourth of six – which is a 165km ride from Lesaka to Orio.

Friday, 31 January 2014

Gerrans Bikes Treble Downunder

Getty Images

Australia's Simon Gerrans beat Cadel Evans by one second to win a record third Tour Down Under in Adelaide.

Gerrans, who took the race lead on the penultimate stage, finished alongside compatriot Evans after a bunch sprint on the final stage to wrap up victory.

He said: "This is an Australian team, on Australia Day, in a World Tour event. What else could I ask for?"

Germany's Andre Greipel won the sixth stage while Britain's Geraint Thomas was eighth in the overall standings.

Thomas, who finished third last year, told BBC Sport before this year's race that he would be trying to help his Australian Team Sky team-mate Richie Porte to victory.

Porte won Saturday's fifth stage to climb to fourth overall - a position he maintained in Sunday's final race by finishing in the main bunch.

Orica Greenedge rider Gerrans, who won the race in 2006 and 2012, also crossed the line in the peloton.

He had won the first stage of the race but lost the lead to Evans on stage three before regaining the leaders' ochre jersey on stage five.

"It's been a hard race for me and my team-mates," continued Gerrans.

"I was confident in my team-mates to take me home safely, which they did. Until I crossed the line, I suspected that Diego Ulissi would try and do something, but it went all right."

Italy's Ulissi finished third overall, five seconds adrift.

Greipel won the sprint on the final stage, edging out Australia's Mark Renshaw, with his British Omega Pharma - QuickStep team-mate Andrew Fenn third.