Mark Cavendish loses red jersey on Stage 3 of the Tour of Oman, as Anthon Charmig secures his first professional win
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Published 12/02/2022 at 12:53 GMT
Cavendish dropped out of the top half of the classification and saw his hopes of another stage victory dashed when the massed bunch raced clear on the hilltop finish. Despite the disappointment, Cavendish still has the green jersey and is eight points ahead of Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates). It was a stage that proved to be a sharp contrast to the relatively flat terrain previously.
Mark Cavendish lost the red jersey in the Tour of Oman
Image credit: Getty Images
Mark Cavendish lost the red jersey on Stage 3 of the Tour of Oman, as Uno-X rider Anthon Charmig produced a stunning display to secure his first professional win.
Charmig finished ahead of Jan Hirt (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) and crossed the line first at the top of a 2.8km climb that had an average gradient of 6.5%. Elie Gesbert (Team Arkea Samsic) took third and the final podium spot after crossing the line two seconds later.
The emotions from the victorious Dane were in sharp contrast to Cavendish, who finished several minutes down after winning the previous stage.
He dropped out of the top half of the classification and saw his hopes of another stage victory dashed when the massed bunch raced clear on the hilltop finish - albeit on terrain which was never likely to suit.
Despite the disappointment, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team rider Cavendish still has the green jersey and is eight points ahead of Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates).
It was a stage that proved to be a sharp contrast to the relatively flat terrain in the opening two days of the race. In total, it lasted a gruelling 180km, beginning at Sultan Qaboos University and going towards Qurayyat.
A six-man breakaway went early, and included Peio Goikoetxea (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Umberto Poli (Novo Nordisk), Kevin Van Melsen (Intermarche), Samuele Zoccarato (Bardiani-CSF), Louis Blouwe (Bingoal-WB), and Angel Fuentes (Burgos-BH). Their lead was slowly eroded away though, and saw both Poli and Van Melsen drop with 63km and 30km to go respectively.
The race then came to a gripping conclusion, as Hirt was surpassed thanks to a stunning ride from Charmig.
The six-stage race continues on Sunday with a mostly hilly stage before a flat finish in Muscat.
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