Bouwmann in Riccione wins stage and jersey of the ‘Coppi e Bartali’

Dutchman Koen Bouwmann (Team Visma Lease a Bike) won the third stage of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali in Riccione, with an attack in the final together with Belgian Louka Matthys (Bingoal WP), then beaten in the two-man sprint. Thanks to this success, the 30-year-old from Team Visma Lease a Bike also slipped Diego Ulissi the overall leader’s jersey, with two stages to go.THE CHRONOLOGY After the start, from Viale Ceccarini, the race proceeded in a fast manner between sprints and counter-sprints. The breakaway was born after about thirty kilometers, with eight men: Harm Vanhoucke (Lotto Dstny), Milan Donie (Lotto Dstny), Alessandro Fancellu (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), Alex Martín (Team Polti Kometa), Matteo Scalco (VF Group – Bardiani CSF – Faizanè), Sergio Meris (Team MBH Bank Colpack Ballan), Milan Vader (Team Visma – Lease a Bike) and Sébastien Reichenbach (Tudor Pro Cycling Team). However, Donie broke away on the Passo San Marco climb, and so at the front seven remained, but their maximum lead never exceeded one minute, with the peloton keeping them in range (Vader was seventh overall). Reichenbach stretches on the San Leo climb and shortly afterwards is joined by Vanhoucke, but the group behind them comes up and cancels their action at km 85. Along the San Marino climb, Colombian Fernando Pescador (GW Erco Shimano) attacks, but he too is caught after the gpm. On the following climb, that of Montescudo, four break out: Cepeda and Ryan of Ef Education First, Double of Tdt Unibet and Carboni of Jcl Team Ukyo, joined shortly after by Pozzovivo (Vf Group-Bardiani Csf-Faizanè) and Staune Mittet (Visma-Lease a Bike). Diego Ulissi’s group, however, managed to repel this attack on the descent and a group of 20 riders remained in the lead. With 16 km to go the attack by Bouwmann and Matthys, who maintain a sufficient margin (13 seconds to go) to go for the stage and, in Bouwmann’s case, wear the leader’s jersey. Now Ulissi is ten seconds behind in the general classification.ARRIVAL ORDER 3rd STAGE: 1st Koen Bouwmann (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) 2nd Louka Matthys (Bingoal WP) 3rd Louka Berckmoes (Lotto Dstny) at 13″ 4th Giovanni Carboni (Jcl Team Ukyo) 5th Gianluca Brambilla (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) 6th Davide De Pretto (Team Jayco Alula) 7th Adam Toupalik (TDT Unibet) 8th Sylvain Moniquet (Lotto Dstny) 9th Thomas Pesenti (Jcl Team Ukyo) 10th Mathys Rondel (Tudor Pro Cycling Team)>> ALL RANKINGS AFTER STAGE 3