Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) won the third stage of the Tour of Guangxi. The Dutch cyclist dominated the final sprint in a very fast stage. Rick Pluimers (TUDOR Pro Cycling Team) and Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-Easypost) finished second and third. Dries De Bondt (Alpecin Deceuninck) is the new leader in the general classification.
On the third day of the Tour of Guangxi, a total of 134.3 kilometers were covered. The out-and-back route to Nanning took place in five laps on a local circuit. Each lap included a short but very steep climb (with an average gradient of 11.8%) to be tackled. This was a considerable distance that had an impact on the race, as in the final lap, several sprinters fell behind.
A small breakaway characterized the stage, with Dries De Bondt (Alpecin Deceuninck) seeking time bonuses. However, the breakaway was not successful, and the main contenders for the stage ended up contesting the sprint.
In the last kilometer, the initiative came from Jumbo-Visma; however, the Dutch train dissolved too early. Still, Kooij managed to start his sprint from a favorable position. He didn’t let anyone come close to his rear wheel, and he had plenty of time to raise his hands in victory. Rick Pluimers and Marijn van den Berg, both Dutch, took second and third places.
As a result, Dries De Bondt (Alpecin Deceuninck) takes over the lead in the competition, which was held by Jonathan Milan (Bahrain Victorious).
Watch the finish:
Results of Stage 3 of the Tour of Guangxi:
General classification of the Tour of Guangxi 2023:
