Stage two winner Jérôme Baugnies takes second as Egoitz Garcia closes the gap to the lead
Roy Jans took a second straight victory for the new Wanty-Groupe Gobert team, in the second stage of the Tropicale Amissa Bongo, between Ndjolé and Lambaréné, in the west African republic of Gabon. The 22-year-old Belgian Classics hopeful managed to outsprint teammate Jérôme Baugnies – the previous day’s winner – to the line to take his first ever professional victory, with former race leader Egoitz Garcia (Cofidis) taking third.
“We are all smiling at the moment,” Jans told the press at the finish. “We have some good momentum.”
The four-second time bonus on the line was not quite enough for Garcia to retake the yellow jersey that he had held after the first stage, but the Spanish rider cut his deficit to compatriot Luis León Sánchez (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) to just one second.
“It proves that nothing is finished,” explained Sánchez. “In this heat, a lot of surprises can still happen. It is difficult to control the race, we will have to work hard every day.”
The 133km stage was dominated by a breakaway from Kindishih Debesay (Eritrea), Songezo Jim (MTN-Qhubeka) and Jean-Bosco Nsengiyumva (Rwanda); Jim and Nsengiyumva having been on the attack the previous day. The trio escaped early in the stage, but were unable to get more than three minutes clear before being reeled in by the peloton.
As he had done the day before, it was South African Jim that managed to stay away the longest, but the MTN-Qhubeka rider – who had held the most aggressive rider’s jersey since stage one – was caught with four kilometres to go.
Result stage 3
1. Roy Jans (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert
2. Jérôme Baugnies (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert
3. Egoitz Garcia (Spa) Cofidis
4. Yohann Gene (Fra) Team Europcar
5. Florian Senechal (Fra) Cofidis
6. Rasmané Ouedraogo (Bur) Burkina Faso
7. Youcef Reguigui (Alg) MTN-Qhubeka
8. Giovanni Bernadeau (Fra) Team Europcar
9. Reda Aadel (Mar) Morocco
10. Luis León Sánchez (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
Standings after stage 3
1. Luis León Sánchez (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
2. Egoitz Garcia (Spa) Cofidis @ 1s
3. Natnael Berhane (Eri) Team Europcar @ 8s
4. Linus Gerdemann (Ger) MTN-Qhubeka @ 16s
5. Grégory Habeaux (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert
6. Fabrice Jeandesboz (Fra) Team Europcar @ 20s
7. Jérôme Baugnies (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert @ 47s
8. Florian Senechal (Fra) Cofidis @ 1’02”
9. Giovanni Bernadeau (Fra) Team Europcar @ 3’02”
10. Reda Aadel (Mar) Morocco