Daniel Schorn places thirteenth in the third stage of the Tour of Britain - Blaz Jarc withdraws
The third stage of the Tour of Britain went from Jedburgh to Dumfries in Scotland. Three climbs had to be completed over the 153-kilometer stretch. Today's stage was also decided in a sprint. Mark Cavendish (Sky) was able to be in complete command in front of Leigh Howard and Aidis Kruopis (both Orica Greenedge). Daniel Schorn from Team NetApp came in thirteenth place.
There was a change in the lead of the general classification. Australian Leigh Howard (Orica Greenedge) took over the gold jersey. Daniel Schorn improved to 30th place and remains the best-placed Team NetApp rider with only 50 seconds behind the leader.
The stage was characterized by a five-man breakaway group that formed in the approach to the first climb. The field controlled the group with a maximum lead of three minutes. Twenty-five kilometers before the finish the group fell apart after the attack from two riders, to whom riders attacking from the field were able to catch up in the rainy weather. At the 2-kilometer mark all breakaway riders had been caught by the field, leading to the sprint decision.
"Today we wanted to save our energy for the more difficult stages that await us starting on Thursday. That way we can concentrate on these tasks. Daniel was feeling a bit better than yesterday and was able to joint in the final sprint. In this regard it was a day that met our expectations," Enrico Poitschke said, summarizing the stage.
Blaz Jarc's withdrawal cast a shadow on the stage for Team NetApp. "Since his fall in the first stage, Blaz is suffering from bruised ribs, which are causing him pain and only allow him to breathe very shallowly. He wanted to try again today, but noticed en route that he was too restricted. He's looking after himself now in order to join in on the last race of the season," Poitschke explained further.
Tomorrow's fourth stage will cover 156 kilometers from Carlisle to Blackpool, a coastal city on the Irish Sea. After two category-two mountain classifications, one category-three climb must still be conquered. Since the last 30 kilometers before the finish are completely flat, the outcome of the race is likely to be decided in a mass sprint.
