Cycling: Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) won stage 3 of the Eneco Tour. He moved up to second overall and is now just three seconds behind leader Rohan Dennis (BMC). Second in the stage was Danny Van Poppel (Sky) ahead of Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis). For the two German pros André Greipel (Lotto Soudal) and Marcel Kittel (Etixx-Quick Step) it was only enough for ninth and eighth place respectively.
Five breakaways caught just before the finish
Even if the day's victory was finally decided in the expected mass sprint, it can by no means be said to have been a boring stage. Difficult wind conditions as well as two cobblestone passages and a few slipways made for a lively race. Over 186 kilometers from Blankenberge to Ardooie, five drivers pulled away, who were able to dominate almost the entire race. Only 200 meters from the finish line were they caught in a chaotic sprint by the peloton. With the British Mark McNally (Wanty) and the Swiss Martin Elmiger (IAM), two of the five escapees even managed to end up in the top 10. Although also in the top 10, the Germans Greipel and Kittel are likely to be dissatisfied. Once again, their teams could not position themselves properly and therefore had no chance of winning the stage.
Eneco Tour Stage #3 - The daily ranking
| PLATZ | Driver | Country | Our Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Peter Sagan | Slovakia | Tinkoff | 4:10:36 |
| 2. | Danny Van Poppel | Netherlands | Sky | + 0: 00 |
| 3. | Bouhanni born | France | Cofidis | + 0: 00 |
| 4. | Dylan Groenewegen | Netherlands | LottoNL Jumbo | + 0: 00 |
| 5. | Mark McNally | Great Britain | wanty | + 0: 00 |
| 6. | James Nizzolo | Italy | Trek-Segafredo | + 0: 00 |
| 7. | Martin Elmiger | Switzerland | I AM | + 0: 00 |
| 8. | Marcel Kittel | Germany | Etixx Quick Step | + 0: 00 |
| 9. | André Greipel | Germany | Lotto Soudal | + 0: 00 |
| 10. | alexander kristoff | Norway | Katusha | + 0: 00 |
Eneco Tour stage #3 - The overall ranking
| PLATZ | Driver | Country | Our Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Rohan Dennis | Australia | BMC | 8:35:24 |
| 2. | Peter Sagan | Slovakia | Tinkoff | + 0: 03 |
| 3. | Jos van Emden | Netherlands | LottoNL Jumbo | + 0: 05 |
| 4. | Jasha Sutterlin | Germany | Movistar | + 0: 14 |
| 5. | Martin Elmiger | Switzerland | I AM | + 0: 14 |
| 6. | wilco kelderman | Netherlands | LottoNL Jumbo | + 0: 15 |
| 7. | Matthias Brandle | Austria | I AM | + 0: 15 |
| 8. | Primois Roglic | Slovenia | LottoNL Jumbo | + 0: 16 |
| 9. | taylor phinney | USA | BMC | + 0: 16 |
| 10. | Marcel Kittel | Germany | Etixx Quick Step | + 0: 17 |