Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) lost the overall race lead in the Tour of Croatia on Thursday, after placing fourth on stage three behind winner Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo).
A hilly stage three ended in a bunch sprint in Sibenik, with Nizzolo sprinting ahead of Belgian Timothy Dupont (Verandas Willems) in second and Matteo Pelucchi (IAM Cycling) in third.
Giacomo Nizzolo wins stage three of the 2016 Tour of Croatia
(Image credit: Watson)
Attention now turns away from fast finishes in the UCI 2.1-ranked race, with Friday's stage four featuring the race's major test for overall contenders with a mountain-top finish. Saturday's stage could then serve to shake up the general classification once more, with a relatively long 40.3km team time trial.
The 2016 Tour of Croatia concludes on Sunday with one final flat stage, setting up a final confrontation between Cavendish and Nizzolo.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Watch: The top five men's team kits
Tour of Croatia 2016 stage three result
Makarska to Sibenik, 190.8km 1. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
2. Timothy Dupont (Bel) Verandas Willems
3. Matteo Pelucchi (Ita) IAM Cycling
4. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data
5. Nicola Ruffoni (Ita) Bardiani-CSF
6. Roman Maikin (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
7. Coen Vermeltfoort (Ned) Cyclingteam De Rijke
8. Ioannis Tamouridis (Gre) Synergy Baku
9. Paolo Simon (Ita) Bardiani-CSF
10. Marco Benfatto (Ita) Androni Giocattoli all same time
General classification after stage three
1. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
2. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data at 10 secs
3. Timothy Dupont (Bel) Willems Verandas at 16 secs
4. Mark Renshaw (Aus) Dimension Data at 20 secs
5. Matteo Pelucchi (Ita) IAM Cycling at 22 secs
6. Nicola Ruffoni (Ita) Bardiani-CSF at 23 secs
7. Alexey Kurbatov (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo at 25 secs
8. Ioannis Tamouridis (Gre) Synergy Baku at 26 secs
9. Coen Vermeltfoort (Ned) Cyclingteam De Rijke at 26 secs
10. Roman Maikin (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo at 26 secs
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
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.
