Anastasiya Kolesava wins Giro Toscana's stage 3!
Anastasiya Kolesava won the 3rd stage of the Giro Toscana in a small group sprint.
Photo : Pettinati communication
“It was a stage with very high temperatures, so thanks to the girls who did a great job for Megan and me. They helped us save our energy, and the same was true as we approached the final climb, where we had to negotiate some very narrow roads. I accelerated on the second part of the climb, but no-one followed. I swung into the lead and was caught again on the descent. I saw a group of six coming up from behind with Megan. I asked her to take the sprint for me as I had a really good feeling. It’s my first victory in France, with the Arkéa team, who I’d like to thank for all their support. I can’t believe it, and I hope that this first success will be a turning point for me.”
“Today’s stage was similar to yesterday’s, with eighty per cent flat and a final bump. The finish was at the bottom of the descent after the final climb. The riders were instructed to place Megan and Anastasiya at the foot of the final climb. The race settled down on the final climb. Anastasiya followed the blows, taking the lead at the top of the climb, but was caught again on the descent. Eight riders battled for victory in the sprint, with Megan leading Anastasiya to victory. The first objective for this Giro was a stage win, but now our riders have moved up in the overall classification. Anastasiya is 3rd. Megan, 4th in today’s stage, is in 5th place provisionally. It’s up to us to do the best we can at this level, bearing in mind that tomorrow sees the queen stage of this event, with a finish in Montecatini Terme that we recognised as soon as we arrived on site.”