Bradley Wiggins wins final time trial stage of Three Days of De Panne
Alexander Kristoff seals overall victory in 2015 Three Days of De Panne, with Bradley Wiggins moving up to third place
Bradley Wiggins (Sky) won the final time trial stage of the Three Days of De Panne in Belgium on Thursday. Norwegian Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) sealed the overall win.
World time trial champion Wiggins was in a class of his own in the final 14.2-kilometre test against the clock, showing that he has built his form nicely ahead of his target of Paris-Roubaix on April 12.
Wiggins finished 10 seconds ahead of Swiss rider Stefan Kueng (BMC) in second, with race leader Kristoff putting in a sensational ride to finish third at 18 seconds to top the general classification.
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Kristoff dominated the race, winning stage one from an escape group before racking up wins in the subsequent two stages. The Norwegian powerhouse was run close on Thursday morning, though, in a photo finish with Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) that came down to less than a centimetre on the line. Third place in the final time trial was a better-than-expected ride to secure the win.
Stijn Devolder (Trek) finished in second spot on GC, with Wiggins in third after his final stage performance.
The mid-week race serves as a leg spinner for riders present in Belgium for Sunday's Tour of Flanders, and several names decided not to contest the final day's two stages to keep their legs fresh for the weekend.
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Results
Three Days of De Panne 2015
Stage one, De Panne to Zottegem, 201.6km
1. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katsuha
2. Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto-Soudal
3. Stijn Devolder (Bel) Trek Factory Racing
4. Sean De Bie (Bel) Lotto-Soudal
5. Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Lotto-Soudal all same time
Stage two, Zottegem to Koksijde, 217.2km
1. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katsuha
2. Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky
3. Shane Archbold (NZl) Bora-Argon 18
4. Antoine Demoitie (Bel) Wallonie-Bruxelles
5. Sacha Modolo (Ita) Lampre-Merida all same time
Stage 3a, De Panne to De Panne, 111.4km
1. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katsuha
2. Andrei Greipel (Ger) Lotto-Soudal
3. Sacha Modolo (Ita) Lampre-Merida
4. Andrea Guardini (Ita) Astana
5. Jakub Marecko (Ita) Southeast all same time
Stage 3b, De Panne to De Panne, 14.2km (ITT)
1. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Team Sky in 17-48
2. Stefan Kueng (Swi) BMC Racing at 10 secs
3. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha at 18 secs
4. Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel) Etixx-QuickStep at 18 secs
5. Stijn Devolder (Bel) Trek Factory Racing at 19 secs
Final overall classification
1. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katsuha
2. Stijn Devolder (Bel) Trek Factory Racing at 23 secs
3. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Team Sky at 42 secs
4. Stefan Kueng (Swi) BMC Racing at 50 secs
5. Sean De Bie (Bel) Lotto Soudal at 58 secs
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Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
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