Greipel takes control of Tour Down Under
Former champion Andre Greipel regained control of the Tour Down Under by winning the 134.5km third stage in a bunch sprint.
Greipel, who won the Tour in 2008 and 2010, moved back to the top of the overall standings by holding off Yauheni Hutarovich and Edvald Boasson Hagen on the stage from Unley to Victor Harbour, south of Adelaide.
It was a 12th Tour Down Under victory for the Lotto-Belisol rider who also won the criterium last Sunday and triumphed in stage one.
But the German, who has an eight-second lead over Swiss Martin Kohler (BMC), gives himself no chance of winning the overall with Saturday's stage at Willunga featuring a hilltop finish for the first time.
"The Willunga stage is too hard for me to win GC this year," Greipel said.
"With two stage wins, we've already reached our goal."
Greipel dedicated his win to Belgian team-mate Jurgen Roelandts, who was released from hospital on Thursday after suffering a cracked neck vertebra in the horrific stage one crash at Clare.
The race continues on Friday with a tough 130km stage from the suburb of Norwood to Tanunda in the Barossa Valley.
Comment 1 - 2 of 2
Great form being shown by Greipel, but i have a feeling that the wins will dry up when the Manx Missile is in the pelaton with him at the business end of the season.
Greipel the mighty!
Well done, Andre.
Keep it up!
John B
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