By Les Clarke in Yankalilla In sweltering conditions heading along the South Australian coastline,...
Carlos Barredo (Liberty Seguros) (Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Barredo breaks through for big win
By Les Clarke in Yankalilla
In sweltering conditions heading along the South Australian coastline, Liberty Seguros' Carlos Barredo took stage 3 from Strathalbyn to Yankalilla after an 11-rider breakaway spent most of the day off the front of an Ag2R-controlled peloton. "We're taking advantage of the fact that Ag2R are marking a steady rhythm in the peloton to get ourselves in the breaks," said Barredo at the finish. "The winds are a bonus, but of course the main objective is the overall win."
Going into the day's stage, overall leader Simon Gerrans was keen to hold onto the lead, as was his team, saying to Cyclingnews at the start in Strathalbyn, "We'll play it like we did yesterday - let another group go at the right time and not spend too much energy." And that's exactly what transpired, with Gerrans' team controlling the peloton after letting the early break fly the coop. The 11 riders, coming together as a group after only five kilometres, stayed away all day, building a four-minute lead that lasted until Barredo initiated a splintering of front pack at the 105 kilometre mark.
From there six riders went clear, with Cadel Evans (Davitamon-Lotto) bridging solo soon after to make it seven. After taking third in Yankalilla, Evans said of this final selection, "After a few years you get a good eye for these things, but it was a bit of a surprise." A surprise it may have been, but after signaling his intentions at the start of the day were to play it as it came, taking the mountains jersey and a podium place were just reward for his hard work during the stage.
