Tour of Hainan: Mareczko doubles up in Hainan with Stage 3 win

The official race book did little justice to the steepening gradient toward the Stage 3 finish after 155.6 kilometres of racing in Chengmai, China on Monday. However, Polish-born Italian sprinter Jakub Mareczko powered his way to the top of the podium for the second straight day at the Tour of Hainan in another bunch kick finish.

The 23-year-old Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia rider out-muscled the field, including Stage 1 winner Jon Aberasturi (Team UKYO) of Spain and Australian Anthony Giacoppo (IsoWhey Sports-SwissWellness) at the line to claim his 11th victory of the season, which also includes four stage wins and his second general classification at the Tour of Taihu Lake earlier this month.

“Today we stayed in front working hard to control the race, so I could do well in the finish,” Mareczko told Eurosport. “It was a deceptively steep finish, but the last 200m was flat and that’s when I started my sprint.

“[Eugert] Zhupa has been a very important part of my success and today was no different as he gave me a strong lead-out and I was about to finish it off with another stage win.”

The win gives Mareczko four more seconds on GC over Aberasturi (+0:11) and seven more (+19) over Stage 2 runner up Martin Laas (Delko-Marseille Provence KTM). Stage 3’s most active rider Benjamin Hill (Attaque Team Gusto) of Australia, who has animated the race the past two days in the break, is fourth on GC at 21 seconds back.

Mareczko remains in the points lead, while Ukrainian Vitaliy Buts (Kolss) holds on to the mountains classification jersey for another day as he is tied with Spaniard Benjamin Prades (Team UKYO) and Hill with four points each.

For full stage and race results click here