Tirreno Adriatico Stage 3: Sagan edges out Cavendish and Greipel to win in Narni Scalo

Peter Sagan of Cannondale this afternoon gatecrashed the expected showdown between Mark Cavendish of Omega Pharma-Quick Step and Andre Greipel of Lotto Belisol, who finished second and third respectively as the Slovak won the sprint finish to Stage 3 of the 2013 Tirreno Adriatico in Narni Scalo.

Sergey Lagutin of Vacansoleil DCM, who had launched a solo bid for the win three kilometres from the end of another rain-soaked stage, had been reeled in as the peloton rounded the final bend into the finishing straight, Sagan getting onto Greipel's wheel, and passing him just before the line.

Cavendish himself was in Sagan's slipstream, but with the pair racing along the right-hand barriers an opportunity to pass the Slovak didn't present itself until it was too late and the Omega Pharma-Quick Step rider had to be content with second place as he edged out Greipel. He does, however, retain the race leader's maglia azzurra.

A hectic descent from the climb to Madonna Scoperta, crested 19 kilometres out, saw first Juan Antonio Flecha of Vacansoleil DCM then Lars Boom of Blanco go on the attack.

However, with the peloton breathing down Boom's neck as he passed the finish line in Narni Scalo for the first time with eight mainly flat kilometres still to ride, it was clear the 190 kilometre stage from Indicatore was going to come down to a bunch sprint, despite a final short climb giving Lagutin the chance to launch that final, but ultimately doomed, attack.

Yesterday, Cavendish had criticised his Omega Pharma-Quick Step colleagues as his leadout fell apart with more than a kilometre to ride to the finish in Indicatore, where he finished fifth as Orica-GreenEdge's Matt Goss took the win. Today, however, he was full of praise for his team mates, despite proving unable to finish off the job.

"The guys did a really, really good job today," he reflected. "They were really motivated. Gert Steegmans brought me up in the last 500 meters. I tried to get on Greipel's wheel, but Sagan did a really great job between us in the final. Sagan really deserved this win today.

"I just can't express enough that my guys did an incredible job today. As for tomorrow, it's a hard stage for someone like me heading to Prati di Tivo, but we will try and keep the jersey in the team. We definitely have some guys who can fight for the blue jersey for the next days."

“I’m happy," said Sagan. "It’s the first time I’ve been Mark Cavendish in my career, I think," he added, referring to sprints where both men have been around to contest the finale.

"There was a climb we rode hard and I think the sprinters felt it. In the final 500m Mark had no more lead-out men. I was on Greipel’s wheel, Mark went shoulder to shoulder with me but he was sporting and dropped in behind. It was good for me, anyway, not for him.”

Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 3 result

1.  SAGAN Peter            CANNONDALE PRO CYCLING          5.15'12
2.  CAVENDISH Mark         OMEGA PHARMA - QUICK-STEP   All at same time
3.  GREIPEL André          LOTTO BELISOL
4.  CIOLEK Gerald          MTN - QHUBEKA
5.  GOSS Matthew           ORICA GREENEDGE
6.  CIMOLAI Davide         LAMPRE - MERIDA 

7.  FARRAR Tyler           GARMIN SHARP 

8.  HUSHOVD Thor           BMC RACING TEAM 

9.  BELLETTI Manuel        AG2R LA MONDIALE

10. GESCHKE Simon          TEAM ARGOS - SHIMANO 

11. MARCATO Marco          VACANSOLEIL - DCM
12. VANMARCKE Sep          BLANCO PRO CYCLING TEAM
13. PIETROPOLLI Daniele    LAMPRE - MERIDA
14. MOLLEMA Bauke          BLANCO PRO CYCLING TEAM
15. BOLE Grega             VACANSOLEIL - DCM
16. GATTO Oscar            VINI FANTINI - SELLE ITALIA
17. VOSS Paul              TEAM NETAPP - ENDURA
18. HENAO Sergio           SKY PROCYCLING
19. DOWSETT Alex           MOVISTAR TEAM
20. TAMOURIDIS Ioannis     EUSKALTEL EUSKADI

Overall standings after Stage 3

1.  CAVENDISH Mark         OMEGA PHARMA - QUICK-STEP     11.23'08
2.  KWIATKOWSKI Michal     OMEGA PHARMA - QUICK-STEP         0'07

3.  TERPSTRA Niki          OMEGA PHARMA - QUICK-STEP         0'09

4.  MARTIN Tony            OMEGA PHARMA - QUICK-STEP         0'09

5.  STYBAR Zdenek          OMEGA PHARMA - QUICK-STEP         0'09

6.  SAGAN Peter            CANNONDALE PRO CYCLING            0'18

7.  DOWSETT Alex           MOVISTAR TEAM                     0'20

8.  VISCONTI Giovanni      MOVISTAR TEAM                     0'20

9.  INTXAUSTI Bena         MOVISTAR TEAM                     0'20

10. COBO Juan Jose         MOVISTAR TEAM                     0'20