Egan Bernal launches offensive against Education First of leader Caicedo

The Colombian Juan Sebastin Molano (UAE Emirates) repeated victory to the sprint in the third stage of the Tour Colombia, which continues leading the Ecuadorian Jonathan Caicedo (Education First).

The stage described a linear development with the common denominator of wear and tear that was mainly caused by the Ineos team, the main adversary of the North American team that directs Juan Manuel Garate.

In the Ineos he is the director of Navarre Xabier Zandio, that at the start we say that this Tour Colombia is a new experience for him, that he had never seen before in a daily succession of routes touching the 3,000 meters altitude and that therefore I did not know what would happen with the continuous recesses so high above sea level that this stage proposes.

The initial question to Zandio was whether he predicted fun and diversity, since the day advised pulling strategies to break the group. The Ineos of the Navarrese director answered her on the road shortly after starting the journey from Paipa to Sogamoso, with 183 real kilometers: Egan Bernal, number one of Zandio's formation, knocked on the door of the rival team. To disturb him. Education First swept into the inaugural team time trial on Tuesday and led five runners at the top of the overall standings with a world of 46 seconds ahead of the Ineos block. Now there are four, because the American Lawson Craddock, who killed himself to work, gave time in the goal. On the other side, the foreseeable withdrawal of Italian Leonardo Basso He left Ineos with only five riders. He came to Colombia as an urgent solution to cover the gap of the injured Ivn Sosa, but for him it has been impossible to maintain the race pace at this altitude.

If Bernal or Richard Carapaz want to surpass the Education that precedes them in the classification on Sunday at El Verjn, forced is to force them, wear them physically and mentally. And in that they have been. The barren of Bernal, with scar Sevilla (Medelln), and Colombians Castiblanco (Illuminate), Camargo (Land of Athletes) and Ochoa (EPM Scott) vanishes quickly. He had already said that of Zipaquir that despite the great delay they have after the chrono “I didn't have to go crazy”. His proud mother, Doa Flor, with his Fan Club tracksuit Egan Bernal kissed him before departure and should have given him encouragement to intimidate with his presence in the escape of the first kilometers of the day.

SEVILLE, ALWAYS IN FRONT

More success in chronological sense, but with the same failed destiny, accumulate the second escape, again with a Sevilla of indefatigable member and an Ineos of the second stage, Sebastin Henao, in addition to another Iluminate, the Colombian Barn, and a Swiss, Pellaud, from Androni, who also has a Colombian address. In the absence of 15 kilometers they were recovered by the peloton. For three hours, Henao was a virtual leader.

Chopping the group in the high plateau of Boyacense with four runners means challenging 23 teams that have not put anyone in the escape, but in the end the whole leader is the one that carries the most weight. The Ineos managed to disturb the Education. No other team collaborated in decisive moments, with a minute and a half of advantage of the escape. Not even the UAE Emirates, which before had been pedaled in the head, but in the last hour of competition preferred keep your final train for the benefit of Molano.

THE SLOW TRAIN OF ALVARO

Al Deceuninck of the sprinter lvaro Hodeg He lacked strength to take his Colombian head. Those taken two kilometers from the end disarmed Julian Alaphilippe, who dresses as a worker and turns out to be the best pen de lvaro, above Bob Jungels, Bert Lerberghe or Mikkel Honore. But Julian is not enough. Molano, huge force that resurfaces after a year of confinement, I went for his second win and Hodeg gave up. You even surpass it Edwin Ardila, the Colombian from Israel who was about to tear down his Israeli companion Itmar Einhorn in the sprint of Wednesday in Duitama.

The commissioning of Alaphilippe can help you break Friday between Paipa and Santa Rosa de Viterbo (169 km). It is the stage marked by the French and the Deceuninck, because the High Malteras culminates 2.9 kilometers from the goal and a change in the pace of the house will try to leave the 'musketeer' in front of the victory. Matxin, the Vizcan director of UAE Emirates, we are “convinced” that Molano will pass the slope and will be eligible for the third consecutive success.

What is certain, given the third stage, is that in the fourth, Ineos will once again check the EF, although it is unlikely to be matt. Caicedo is committed to a strategy of his team very different from this Thursday.