Image 1 of 5

Van Garderen up for Vuelta GC fight

168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tejay van Garderen's last two appearances at the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Vuelta a España has ended with a DNF against the American's name. Three stages in to the 2017 edition of the race and the BMC rider sits fourth overall and just two seconds behind race le♒ader Chris Froome (Team Sky).

For van Garderen, it's a pleasant place to b🥀e after his GC titls at the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia have come unstuck in recent years. While van Garderen's 20th place overall at the Giro was down on his personal expectation, he sౠaved his race with a stage win. The 29-year-old now finds himself within touching distance of his first Grand Tour leader's jersey and confident of sustaining a GC fight for the three weeks.

"It seems like everyday i♑s a one day race. The TTT is always nervous, crosswinds yesterday, and today was already high mountains," said van Garderen. "I think me and (Nicolas) Roche we've shown that we were ready for the GC fight although we still have a long t꧑hree weeks to go.

"Today showed that we're going well as a team. It would have been nice to take the red jersey but I'm only two seconds back after a few tough stages and we've already gained some time on some other rivals. It's certain✅ly a good place to be."

Winners of the opening day team time trial, BMC enjoyed a day in red with Rohan Dennis wh𓆏ile Daniel Oss and Nico Roche enjoyed stints as the respective leaders of the combination and mountain classifications. Roche is tied on time with van Garderen and sits third overall but was disappointed to have missed on the race lead.

"After winning the team time trial, I was👍 hoping that today was the day that I could have taken the red jersey. I had that in the back of my mind. Yesterday, losing those precious seconds was a big pain for today," said Roche.

Kruijswijk hit by a cold at Vuelta a Espana

Coming into the Vuelta a Espana with a cold, 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-🌄Jumbo) was hoping to have come good by the first test for the GC men on stage 3. However, the Dutchman is still feeling the affects and conceded over a minute to his main rivals in the battle for the red jersey.

Kruijswijk crossed the line 1:14 minutes down on stage winner Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) in 24th place with the solꦜe consolation of improving his placing from 56 to 24th.

"I got it just before the start of the Vuelta. I had hoped it would have been over by Saturday," Kruijswijk said. "Suffering from a cold does not help in stages like today's. I felt that I would not be able to cross the top amidst the favourites today. I raced up as fast as possib🍸le, along with Wilco Kelderman."

Leaing the Giro u𓃲ntil stage 18 of last year's Giro d'Italia, Kruijswijk crashed and would eventually finish fourth overall in Turin. Since then, his Grand Tour's have been of misfortune with a bollard causing him to crash and break his collarbone at last year's Vuelta while illness forced him out of the Giro in May. Despi♚te the setbacks, Kruijswijk knows it's a long way to Madrid on September 10 and is still dreaming of his first top-ten result at the Vuelta.

"This 🅘cold must disappear. Then the r🀅ight shape will return. It’s annoying, but stages like today's prove that there is a lot of potential in this Vuelta. I'll keep trying."

Dimension Data lose King to illness 

168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Dimension Data will have to do without Ben King for the remainder of the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Vuelta a Espana with the American withdrawing due to illness. King was a non-sꩲtarter on stage 3 having come down with a viral infection as team doctor Nicolas Theron explained.

"Unfortunately Ben King has come down with a viral infection. He was fine during the time tria🧸l but before yesterday's stage he started to complain of muscle pain and a general feeling of being unwell," Theron said. "Through the stage and overnight his condition didn't improve, he couldn't eat properly and felt very weak. Usually this would only take 2 or 3 days of bed rest to recover but obviously due to the nature of the sport, that did not help Ben's situation as the race continued today. We are treating him now and hope he can come back strong for the final races of the season."

The 2017 Vuelta a España was King's third in succession and the fourth Grand Tour of his career after his 2014 debut at the Tour de France. Having finished the previous Grand Tours, the 2017 Vuelta is the first time King has had to abandon a three-week race. The Vuelta is just the second race that King has failed to finish in his first yearౠ with Dimension Data𝄹 with Amstel Gold Race the other.

More contract extensions at AG2R-La Mondiale

French WorldTour team 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:AG2R La Mondiale has secured tꦉhe future of three more riders, announcing contract extension for Alexis Vuillermoz, Mikaël Chérel, and Gediminas Bagdonas. Lithuanian Bagdonas has earned a one-year deal with the team who has been with since 201💧3 while Chérel and Vuillermoz will continue for at least two more seasons.

"I am pleased that the team's backbone has been consolidated for the next several seasons. This is important for the team's overall sportin꧋g 𝄹development," explained general manager Vincent Lavenu.

The extension continues a good week for Vuillermoz after he secured the overall Tour du Limousin victory. Chérel hasn't raced since the Tour de Romandie due to a training accident but has shown his importance to the team and been rewarded by mana🦄gement.

The team has a✨lso extended with Romain Bardet, François Bidard, Pierre Latourཧ, Oliver Naesen, Ben Gastauer and Axel Domont while signing Tony Gallopin and Clément Venturini.