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US Champion Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) put his stamp on the stage 3 time trial, successful the 15.5km race towards the clock in 20:06 on the Tour de Romandie.
“It was good. I did not know what to anticipate after the previous few days. I had experience, and perhaps I used to be a bit fortunate with the climate. It’s good to have a win,” stated McNulty, who was an early begin beneath dry situations that then turned to rain within the final half of the occasion.
“I used to be fortunate to be within the dry, and it is a bit unusual as a result of you do not know if you happen to had been really the quickest, however at all times pleased with a win.”
His fellow countryman Magnus Sheffield (Ineos-Grenadiers) was a distant second, ending the time trial 13 seconds slower than McNulty.
It was day for UAE Team Emirates as McNulty’s teammates Felix Großschartner completed in third place at 15 seconds down and Juan Ayuso in fourth at 21 seconds down, taking the general race lead in Oron.
“Now we clearly must defend as a result of tomorrow will probably be a tricky day,” McNulty stated. “We look ahead to defending the jersey now.”
Ayuso now leads the general classification by seven seconds forward of Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal-QuickStep) and 10 seconds forward of Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe).
The race heads into the mountains for the queen stage 4 on Saturday, a 160km race from Saillon to Leysin.
How it Unfolded
The third stage on the Tour de Romandie was a 15.5km time trial that began and completed in Oron with a loop that supplied a mild rise on the best way out to the mid-route (7.9km) time verify and a predominantly downhill again into Oron. Although the occasion began beneath dry situations, the rain rolled in for the second half of the race, making the roads slippery and harmful for the late starters.
McNulty was an early starter, setting the benchmark for the remainder of the riders with the quickest opening time, 20:06.
In the primary half of the beginning order, few riders got here near McNulty’s time till his teammate Felix Großschartner completed with 20:21. Großschartner slotted in behind McNulty and jumped Johan Price-Pejtersen (Bahrain-Victorious) down to 3rd.
The ending order reshuffled behind McNulty once more when his compatriot Sheffield stormed over the road with a brand new greatest runner-up time of 20:19, however nonetheless 13 seconds slower than McNulty.
Racing situations worsened because the time trial progressed, with rain and slippery roads affecting the later starters and lots of the basic classification favourites.
Quick instances got here in from Bruno Armirail (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) at 20:29, Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) at 20:38, and Thymen Arensman (Ineos-Grenadiers) at 20:43, however it more and more appeared that none would come near McNulty’s time.
UAE Team Emirates’ GC hopeful Ayuso began the day in seventh place total, however he crossed the road with the fourth-fastest time of 20:27, which put him able to take the general classification lead.
Also within the hunt for the GC, Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos-Grenadiers) completed with a time of 20:34 and moved up ten spots to fourth total, whereas Vlasov completed in 20:36 and moved as much as third and Van Wilder with the identical time however moved as much as second total.
Australian Champion Luke Plapp (Ineos-Grenadiers) slipped from third place total to seventh, ending the time trial in 21:05. Likewise, Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), who posted a time of 21:41, slipped from second to fifteenth total.
Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek), the day prior to this’s stage winner and in a single day chief, was the final rider out on the course. While he regarded comfy closing out the occasion beneath the wet situations, his time of 21:44 wasn’t sufficient to maintain the yellow jersey.
Results
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