March 14/14 13:35 pm - Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 3

Posted by Editoress on 03/14/14
 

The brilliant young Slovakian all-rounder Peter Sagan (Cannondale) won stage 3 of the 49th Tirreno-Adriatico this afternoon, darting away from an elite group of fast finishers to win by several lengths.

Peter Sagan wins

Race leader Michal Kwiatkowsk

Photos LaPresse

Poland’s Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma Quick-Step), second on the stage, gained 6 bonus seconds and replaced his team-mate Mark Cavendish as race leader. Australia’s Simon Clarke (Orica GreenEdge) was third.

After the stage, the stage winner and the overall race leader spoke to the press.

Peter Sagan (Cannondale)
A victory foretold: “Before Tirreno-Adriatico we said that this stage is very good for me and I wanted to do well in it.”

Approaching the climb: “It was a very confusing finish. In the last 3 km, a team-mate put me on the front, but I lost my position and dropped back to about 10th place. Then I saw [Daniele] Bennati, who was moving up before we reached the final climb. I followed his wheel and moved up into about 6th place. We rode the climb fast from start to finish, which was good for me.”

Gilbert’s attack: “I was on the front with 4 or 5 very strong riders - Gilbert, Kwiatkowski, Clarke, and one or two others. When Gilbert attacked there were still 350 or 400 m to go. It was too early. He attacked too early, which was good for me because he effectively pulled the sprint for me.”

Riding into form for Milano-Sanremo: “It’s important because now I know my condition is growing. My objective is to ride Milano-Sanremo well. Whether or not I win, I want to do it well there. It’s important to me. You win some and you lose some, but what matters is to perform to the best of your ability. I feel very good, I’m happy to have won this stage, I thank my team and I want to dedicate this victory to my mum who isn’t feeling very well.”

Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma Quick-Step)

Overall victory? “You want to do well in every race and, to do so, you have to believe you can win. I was 4th in this race last year, I’m  motivated, and I’ve had a good start to the race, so why not? I know the big  stages still lie ahead of us, and that the race has really just begun, but it’s better to be in this position…”

In-form rivals: “You can see that Contador has a lot of support form his team-mates. They were on the front all day. He looked strong at the Tour of the Algarve, so I think he’s the biggest contender for victory in this Tirreno-Adriatico, He’s in really good form, and he was looking good today. Having said that, Sky was always in the front today as well, so tomorrow we will see…”

Stronger this season than last: “I was in good form this time last year, but my race programme at the start of the season was a little bit different. Last year I went to Argentina [in January], I did well there, but not as well as this year. I started this season a little bit later. That’s the thing. The big difference is that I’m starting to win races.  I’m not 35, so I think I will get stronger year by year, and my team, Omega Pharma - Quick-Step, believes in me. With the kind of support I have from my coaches and team-mates, I hope I’ll get stronger year by year.”

Report courtesy RCS Sport

Results from the third stage in Italy