Max Walscheid (Team Sunweb) took his first victory of the season as he sprinted to victory on today’s third stage of the Tour de Yorkshire.
It had looked as though French rider Sylvain Chavanel (Direct Énergie) was going to spoil the sprinters’ party once again, but the three-time Tour de France stage winner was caught with just 300m to go and Walscheid fired past him to take the win.
Friday’s stage winner Magnus Cort Nielsen crossed the line just inches behind to take second place, and bonus seconds on the line saw him tighten his grip on the blue leader’s jersey sponsored by Yorkshire Bank Bike Libraries. Astana Pro Team Rider now leads Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) by 10 seconds with just the final stage remaining.
Nielsen also tops the best sprinter classification sponsored by Asda, while Michael Cuming (Madison Genesis) will defend the red best climber’s jersey sponsored by Virgin Trains for a third successive stage.
Skipton-based rider Pete Williams will wear the grey most active rider jersey on Sunday after fans on the Tour de Yorkshire Twitter page @letouryorkshire bestowed him the honour following his classy climbing display on fearsome Côte de Sutton Bank.
Stage three winner Walscheid said: “The scenery, the people and the weather were all incredible, and it seems like the race organisers have picked a really good week in the year for sun!
“The stage designers also did a really good job. The route was demanding but it still finished in a sprint royale and it was spectacular for the spectators. The reception we got all day was fantastic – people were standing in many rows. I’ve ridden famous races like Paris-Roubaix before but never seen crowds like that. This win was one of the proudest moments of my career.”
Race leader Magnus Cort Nielsen said: “The crowds were amazing and there was so many people. They seemed extremely excited and it wasn’t just kids jumping up and down but adults as well. That was a lot of fun to see and we all took time to soak it all in.”
