A solid top ten for our rider after 125 kilometers in the break.
Pepijn Reinderink had an impressive ride on the third stage of the World Tour race, joining the early breakaway that formed just a couple of kilometers into the day and being extremely active there the entire time. Around 40 kilometers from the finish, the 23-year-old attacked and forced a selection as he continued to push the pedal to the metal, which helped him remain off the front until the last hour of the race, when the peloton caught him. Moments later, the organisers decided to stop the race after a crash in the bunch and neutralize the GC times before resuming it with 15 kilometers to go.
The riders still at the front went first, 40 seconds ahead of the group, but they were caught by the chasers in the last two kilometers. The peloton fragmented on the wide roads of Wałbrzych, leaving a small group containing both Pepijn and T-Rex Quick-Step teammate Andrea Raccagni at the front. Those who had missed the split came back and the stage culminated in a reduced bunch sprint won by Ben Turner (Ineos Grenadiers), while Reinderink came home seventh, a remarkable result considering the 125 kilometers he had spent in the breakaway, where he put in a huge effort.
“I’m a bit disappointed, because I felt good today, and at one point, I began thinking there was a chance for us to make it. But then I got caught by the peloton and it was in the final kilometers that I had another chance, when the group split for a few seconds, only for it to come together again. I finished in the top ten, but I feel more was possible on this stage”, Pepijn said at the finish.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
