Sagan closes in on Tour Down Under lead with stage win

ADELAIDE: Triple world champion Peter Sagan held off former race winners Luis Leon Sanchez and Daryl Impey to win stage three and close in on the overall lead of Australia’s Tour Down Under on Thursday.

The Slovak Bora-Hansgrohe sprint superstar repeated his victory in last year’s corresponding stage in Uraidla, edging out Spain’s Sanchez on the line in the 146.2-kilometre (90-mile) leg through the Adelaide Hills in South Australia.

Sagan, who won consecutive world road race championships from 2015 to 2017, closed to within one point of overall tour leader Patrick Bevin of New Zealand. Sagan said his experience racing on the same roads last year helped him in the closing stages.