Team Sky sprinter Danny Van Poppel is on a roll at the Vuelta a Burgos in Spain, claiming his second stage win in three days.
Van Poppel was well clear of his rivals as he crossed the line in Villarcayo in the bunch sprint at the end of Thursday's 198-kilometre stage three.
The top three was a carbon copy of the opening stage, with the Dutchman finishing ahead of Jean-Pierre Drucker (BMC) in second and Gianni Meersman (Etixx-QuickStep) in third.
Danny Van Poppel and Peter Kennaugh on stage 3 of the 2016 Vuelta Burgos
(Image credit: Watson)
Earlier in the stage, Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) was one of those who had staged an escape over the second ascent of the Alto Retuerta climb 20km before the finish but was ultimately reeled in by the peloton to set up a bunch finish.
"I suffered a lot, especially on the last climb and I was one of the last guys at the back," Van Poppel said after the stage on www.teamsky.com. "The team did a great job. They helped me and waited for me, then when we got back to the front they pulled full gas to take back a strong break. The lead-out was perfect!"
Dmitriy Gruzdev after stage 3 of the 2016 Vuelta Burgos
(Image credit: Watson)
Dmitriy Gruzdev (Astana) retains the overall race lead ahead of team-mates Dario Cataldo and Michele Scarponi after the Kazakh squad won the stage two team time trial. British rider Peter Kennaugh (Sky) is in 18th spot at seven seconds, with fellow Brit Simon Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) in 28th at 10 seconds.
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Friday's stage four offers up a hilly route from Aranda de Duero to Lerma, but is predicted to again finish with a bunch sprint. The race concludes on Saturday with the 'queen' climbing stage, ending with an ascent to the line at Lagunas de Neila.
Results
Vuelta a Burgos 2016, stage three: Sedano to Villarcayo, 198km
Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
