Alexey Lutsenko on the podium after his stage 3 win (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Stage 3 of the Tour of Oman saw the peloton shattered by crosswinds and further reduced by a sharp climb near the end of the 195km stage to Qurayyat. It was Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) who proved to be the strongest, powering away to back-to-back stage victories and dethroning UAE Team Emirates sprinter Alexander Kristoff.
Lutsenko, the defending champion, soloed in ahead of Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) and Greg Van Avermaet (CCC Team), and now leads the overall by 18 seconds over Herrada, with Van Avermaet third at 20 seconds.
Stage 4 is another one for the sprinters, with a short 131km romp from Yiti to the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, but the climbing returns on Wednesday with the Green Mountain summit.
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