Gavazzi wins Tour of Beijing stage three as Martin continues lead

Francesco Gavazzi wins, Tour of Beijing 2012, stage three

Francesco Gavazzi (Astana) won stage three of the Tour of Beijing after catching late attacker Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky) on the line.

Boasson Hagen looked to have launched a perfectly-timed attack in the final three and a half kilometres, breaking free from the lead group to tackle the final ascent to the finish on his own.

Daniel Martin (Garmin-Sharp) led the chase in the final 500 metres, but Gavazzi came around to scoop the victory ahead of Martin and Boasson Hagen, left banging his bars in disappointment after such a near miss.

Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) retains the overall lead, with Gavazzi in second at 40 seconds and Daniel Martin at 50 seconds.

Friday's penultimate stage runs from Yanqing to Chang Ping. The race concludes on Saturday, drawing to a close the 2012 UCI WorldTour.

Results

Tour of Beijing 2012, stage three: Men Tou Gou to Badaling Great Wall, 162.5km

1. Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Astana in 4-05-08

2. Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Sharp

3. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky

4. Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) Ag2r-La Mondiale

5. Rui Costa (Por) Movistar all same time

Overall classification after stage three

1. Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-QuickStep

2. Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Astana at 40 secs

3. Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Sharp at 50 secs

4. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky at 52 secs

5. Eros Capecchi (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale at 52 secs

Related links

Tour of Beijing 2012 stage three photo gallery by Graham Watson

Tony Martin takes solo win on stage two of Tour of Beijing

Tour of Beijing 2012 stage two photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage one: Viviani wins opening stage

Tour of Beijing 2012 stage one photo gallery

Tour of Beijing kicks off with team presentation

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Nigel Wynn
Former Associate Editor

Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.