Julian Alaphilippe wins Tour of Britain stage three as Patrick Bevin claims green jersey
Last Updated: 04/09/18 5:18pm
Julian Alaphilippe came out on top in stage three of the Tour of Britain in Bristol as Patrick Bevin moved into the overall lead.
Alaphilippe held off Bevin in a reduced bunch sprint, with the only remaining pure sprinters left in the group unable to find an extra gear after two short-but-sharp late climbs.
Alessandro Tonelli, who was wearing the green jersey after his second place finish on Monday, lost time in the closing 10km and gave up his jersey to Bevin, sporting the colours of BMC Racing.
A breakaway was finally pulled back 9km from the finish, with Britain's Tom Pidcock among the riders who tried to use the climb of Providence Lane to get away.
But the group was back together for the final 5km, with star sprinters Caleb Ewan and Sacha Modolo sitting just off Bob Jungels, who was setting the pace for Quick-Step Floors team-mate Alaphilippe.
Neither was able to mount a meaningful challenge and it was left to Alaphilippe to move to the front in the final 50m and claim his ninth victory of the year.
Bevin's second placing proved vital as the bonus seconds he had secured earlier in the day enabled him to take the green jersey, Cameron Meyer missing out on countback for the second successive day.
Alaphilippe moved up to third overall, just two seconds behind the leader, ahead of Wednesday's fourth stage between Nuneaton and Royal Leamington Spa.
