Third Winner Honored as Tour de Flores Enters Harder Stages
Bajawa, Flores. Hong Kong road cyclist Ronald Yeung won the third stage of Tour de Flores 2016 on Saturday (21/05) after conquering the hardest climb so far in the tour.
The Wisdom Henxiang Cycling Team rider is the third person to win a stage in as many stages as the tour approaches its most difficult summit.
Yeung conquered the 123.3 kilometer race to Bajawa, winning all four King of Mountains along the route. Spaniard Benjamin Prades of Team Ukyo finished second and South Korean Hyeongmin Choe from Geunsam Insam Cello came third.
Indonesian Robin Manullang finished fourth place in the stage, maintaining his second place in the overall classification. Daniel Whitehouse of Terengganu Cycling Team hold on the leader's red jersey after finished eight in the stage.
Eight riders dropped out due to mechanical problems, fatigue or injuries, leaving only 87 cyclists to race the third stage. Yeung is among the first to attack ahead of an easy ascend 15 kilometer into the stage, establishing a breakaway group of three riders.
The first stage winner Jason Christie of Kenya Riders Downunder and teammate Geoffrey Langat joined a group of three racers breaking away ahead of the first and sprint in the stage. Christie won the sprint with the leading group extending a three minutes gap to peloton.
Yeung won the second King of Mountain 50 kilometer stage, but Christie took over the lead not long after with Sunjae Jang of LX-IIBS Cycling Team from South Korea in third place.
The three’s lead to peloton got narrower ahead of hors categorie King of Mountain, the hardest climb so far in Tour de Flores 2016, with Prades and Choe among those who launched a late attack. Yeung survived and sprinted to finish.
“I am very lucky. I win all King of Mountains,” Yeung said at the finish line.
The cyclist will race in stage 4 where two hors categorie awaits, a 136.6-kilometer Bajawa to Ruteng, the capital of Manggarai district.
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