The Giro di Sardegna overall contenders will now switch their attention to the penultimate stage of the race, which should be decisive.
Situated on the eastern coast of Sardinia, Tortoli got to welcome the peloton at the end of the third stage, which took in two rather small classified climbs and 1400 vertical meters. It took almost one hour for a two-man breakaway to get away and open a 2:40 gap on the peloton, which had a clear goal on Friday: make sure it would all come down to a bunch sprint.
With 20 kilometers to go, the escapees were reeled in, and the group kept things together, including nullifying a late attack that came inside the last ten kilometers. In the mass gallop, the victory went to Dusan Rajovic (Solution Tech NIPPO Rali), after a photo-finish.
In the general classification, the gaps are still tight, only a couple of seconds separating the riders on the podium, where we have two riders – Gianmarco Garofoli and Filippo Zana. This will give Soudal Quick-Step options during Saturday’s queen stage, where the peloton has to overcome four ranked climbs, including Passo Genna Silana and Su Pradu, before the finish in Nuoro.
Photo credit: ©Szymon Gruchalski / Getty Images
