October 11, 2012 (Beijing, China) – Italy’s Francesco Gavazzi (Astana) won stage three of the Tour of Beijing, in a close uphill sprint finish at the Great Wall on Thursday. Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) retained the lead but he was put under strong pressure by Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) in the final kilometers.

This “queen stage,” 162.5 kilometres long from Mentougou to Badaling-Great Wall, provided a dramatic finish. Boasson Hagen threatened Martin’s leader’s jersey by attacking with three kilometers to the finish and taking almost twenty seconds advantage. The German rouleur responded by ensuring a powerful chase in front of the peloton.

“I knew it was going to be a difficult day and I’d lose some time,” Martin said. “I only lost ten seconds, which is a bonus. I feel I am in a stronger position to retain the leader’s jersey to the finish after today’s stage than I was yesterday. I had great support from my team since the numerous attacks from the start.”

Boasson Hagen, who reconnoitred the course before the race said: “I was full gas, thinking to try to gap off and get as much seconds as possible. If Martin hadn’t gained time yesterday, then maybe I could have waited for the sprint.”

Norway’s all-rounder was caught within sight of the line and battled the final few meters to finish third in the stage. He took six seconds in time bonuses and is now fourth on the general classification, 52 seconds behind Tony Martin.

Ireland’s Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp) was first from the peloton to catch Boasson Hagen but he crossed the line second, passed by Gavazzi.

“When Boasson Hagen attacked I thought it was over because this style of finish perfectly suits him,” Gavazzi said. “I just stayed on the wheels: to wait was the single thing I could do. I felt I could win and I needed to break the ice.”

Second on stage two yesterday, Gavazzi narrowly missed victory three other times this year. A winner of a stage at 2011 Vuelta a Espana, the 28-year-old Italian secured second position on the general classification, with Tony Martin 40 seconds ahead of him.

The first part of the stage went off at high speed and no attempted attack succeeded before the top of the first climb, at kilometer 19, where Valentin Iglinskiy (Astana) out-sprinted king of the mountains leader Dan Martin.

Between the descent and the foot of the following climb, a group of seven riders broke away with Vacansoleil-DCM’s Johnny Hoogerland and Pim Ligthart, as well as George Bennett (RadioShack-Nissan), Andriy Grivko (Astana), Matthieu Ladagnous (FDJ-BigMat), Christian Meier (Orica-GreenEdge) and Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel-Euskadi).

The men in front took up to 4’35” over the peloton led by Omega Pharma-Quick Step.

They seemed to work pretty well together, fighting at the top of the climbs (Ligthart scored two wins ahead of Meier) and the intermediate sprints (Ladagnous won the first one, like he did on stage one, while Ligthart was fastest in the second).

The category 1 ascent in Gao Ya Ku (10.8km at 6.4%) provided an epic, twenty-kilometer twisty downhill thrill, like some mythical hills of the Dolomites in Italy.

“The road was wide and beautiful but very technical. There were some curved corners like on a velodrome!” observed former track rider Ladagnous.

The breakaway’s advantage was 1’30 at twenty kilometers from the finish. “We should have had one minute 30 at the bottom of the last climb to be able to win,” Ladagnous told.

The seven riders were caught with ten kilometers to go.

Just before the junction, Meier went alone for three more kilometers. “At that point we can’t say I had saved energy but I saw an opportunity and took it,” said the Canadian.

When all the riders were together, 2012 Giro d’Italia winner Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) launched an attack but was controlled. French “baroudeur” Sylvain Georges (AG2R-La Mondiale) also tried a solo… and even fought a wind gust created by a truck driving on the parallel road.

Team Sky, however, was firmly leading the peloton to prepare Boasson’s Hagen brutal acceleration.

A member of yesterday’s leading group, Georges was happy to show himself. “The Tour of Beijing is important for our team to gain UCI WorldTour points and for me to be reassured after I had some family and health problems this year.”

Several riders, whether they were in breakaways or in the peloton, emphasised how difficult the Tour of Beijing is, notably because some teams like Euskaltel-Euskadi and AG2R-La Mondiale are chasing points.

Meier saw another reason behind that hard battle: “The race is pretty intense in the mountains because just a very few teams brought their climbers rather than their sprinters. Garmin-Sharp and Euskaltel-Euskadi did it, and they go flat out in the mountains.”

The riders were happy to finish at the foot of the Great Wall, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, and the Badaling site is one of the most popular parts within among the 6,700 kilometres in total.

Andy Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan) went 132nd in the stage at 15’43” to Gavazzi.

Luxemburg’s star had a minor crash before the start on the way from his hotel, as his front wheel touched a little stone on the road. Schleck cut his forearm while his team-mate Hayden Roulston was also involved in the crash and superficially injured his knee.

Chinese-based team Champion System Pro Cycling had a good day with three riders finishing in the main bunch. “When the field shredded the guys stayed in front as long as they could,” said directeur sportif Ed Beamon. “They showed they have improved a lot since the beginning of the year.”

Stage four on Thursday from Yanqing to the Changping Stadium, will go to the north of Beijing, over a 165.5 kilometer distance, through the Jundu Mountains and the tombs of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty.

The finale concentrates three category three climbs but with 2.3 kilometres and a smooth gradient on each and with a 31-kilometer downhill from the summit of the last one to the finish line, the match between the possible breakaways and sprinters’ teams will provide an intriguing show.

Results

1. Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Astana Pro Team 4:05:08
2. Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Sharp
3. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling
4. Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
5. Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team
6. Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
7. Eros Capecchi (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
8. Moreno Moser (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
9. Mathias Frank (Sui) BMC Racing Team
10. Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) Lampre-ISD
11. Simon Clarke (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
12. Tomasz Marczynski (Pol) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
13. Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
14. Rafal Majka (Pol) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
15. Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
16. Ivan Velasco Murillo (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
17. Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
18. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
19. Tanel Kangert (Est) Astana Pro Team
20. Stephen Cummings (Gbr) BMC Racing Team
21. Manuele Mori (Ita) Lampre-ISD 0:00:11
22. Klaas Lodewyck (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:00:12
23. Daniele Bennati (Ita) RadioShack-Nissan
24. Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Esp) RadioShack-Nissan 0:00:16
25. Maciej Paterski (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale
26. Chris Butler (USA) Champion System Pro Cycling Team
27. Jean-Christophe Peraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
28. Jussi Veikkanen (Fin) FDJ-Big Mat 0:00:27
29. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Sharp 0:00:30
30. Pablo Lastras Garcia (Esp) Movistar Team
31. Allan Davis (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
32. Igor Anton Hernandez (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
33. Leigh Howard (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team 0:00:37
34. Valentin Iglinskiy (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 0:00:41
35. Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Esp) Movistar Team 0:00:47
36. Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
37. Ignatas Konovalovas (Ltu) Movistar Team
38. Jérémy Roy (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
39. Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
40. Craig Lewis (USA) Champion System Pro Cycling Team 0:00:53
41. Morris Possoni (Ita) Lampre-ISD
42. Peio Bilbao (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
43. Jan Bakelants (Bel) RadioShack-Nissan 0:01:12
44. Pengda Jiao (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team 0:01:19
45. Juan Manuel Garate (Esp) Rabobank Cycling Team
46. Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing Team
47. José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Esp) Movistar Team
48. Danilo Wyss (Sui) BMC Racing Team
49. Dominique Rollin (Can) FDJ-Big Mat
50. Javier Iriarte (Esp) Movistar Team
51. Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto Belisol Team
52. Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Katusha Team
53. Petr Ignatenko (Rus) Katusha Team
54. Mikael Cherel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:55
55. Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
56. Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:02:00
57. Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:02:23
58. Maxim Belkov (Rus) Katusha Team
59. Salvatore Puccio (Ita) Sky Procycling 0:02:30
60. Gang Xu (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team 0:03:00
61. Mikhail Ignatyev (Rus) Katusha Team 0:03:47
62. Jaroslaw Marycz (Pol) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank 0:04:09
63. Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
64. Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre-ISD
65. Alexey Tsatevich (Rus) Katusha Team
66. Hayden Roulston (Nzl) RadioShack-Nissan
67. Mads Christensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
68. Jesse Sergent (Nzl) RadioShack-Nissan
69. Anthony Geslin (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
70. Frederik Veuchelen (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
71. David Tanner (Aus) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank 0:04:18
72. Dmitriy Gruzdev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 0:04:47
73. Marco Haller (Aut) Katusha Team 0:06:13
74. Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:06:29
75. Kenny De Haes (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
76. Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Astana Pro Team
77. Aaron Kemps (Aus) Champion System Pro Cycling Team
78. Mehdi Sohrabi (IRI) Lotto Belisol Team
79. Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
80. Martin Kohler (Sui) BMC Racing Team
81. Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
82. Jesus Herrada Lopez (Esp) Movistar Team
83. Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Garmin-Sharp
84. Dario Cataldo (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
85. Clinton Robert Avery (Nzl) Champion System Pro Cycling Team
86. Sylvain Georges (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:06:50
87. Maarten Wynants (Bel) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:08:25
88. Jos Van Emden (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
89. Barry Markus (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
90. Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
91. Benjamin King (USA) RadioShack-Nissan
92. Gert Dockx (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
93. Luke Rowe (Gbr) Sky Procycling
94. Greg Henderson (Nzl) Lotto Belisol Team
95. Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
96. Timofey Kritskiy (Rus) Katusha Team
97. Tiziano Dall’antonia (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
98. Cristiano Salerno (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
99. Grega Bole (Slo) Lampre-ISD
100. Davide Vigano (Ita) Lampre-ISD
101. Christian Meier (Can) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
102. Adriano Malori (Ita) Lampre-ISD
103. Mitchell Docker (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
104. Enrique Sanz (Esp) Movistar Team
105. Mikel Landa Meana (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
106. Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
107. Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
108. Anders Lund (Den) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
109. Rudiger Selig (Ger) Katusha Team
110. Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Garmin-Sharp
111. Biao Liu (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team 0:10:36
112. Mauro Da Dalto (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:11:01
113. Daniele Ratto (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
114. Maarten Neyens (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
115. Joost Van Leijen (Ned) Lotto Belisol Team
116. Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Garmin-Sharp
117. Christopher Sutton (Aus) Sky Procycling
118. Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) Astana Pro Team
119. Kun Jiang (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team
120. Julien Vermote (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
121. Elia Viviani (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:12:44
122. Davide Cimolai (Ita) Lampre-ISD
123. Alex Howes (USA) Garmin-Sharp
124. George Bennett (Nzl) RadioShack-Nissan
125. Andrew Fenn (Gbr) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
126. Jetse Bol (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
127. Alex Dowsett (Gbr) Sky Procycling
128. Theo Bos (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
129. Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
130. Pim Ligthart (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
131. Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Garmin-Sharp 0:15:43
132. Andy Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan
133. Thomas Dekker (Ned) Garmin-Sharp
134. Iljo Keisse (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
135. Frantisek Rabon (Cze) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
136. Marco Bandiera (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:15:55
137. Manuele Boaro (Ita) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank 0:16:09
DNF Bert-Jan Lindeman (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
DNF Miguel Minguez Ayala (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi

GC after Stage 3

1. Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 9:35:52
2. Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:00:40
3. Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Sharp 0:00:50
4. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling 0:00:52
5. Eros Capecchi (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
6. Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:56
7. Tomasz Marczynski (Pol) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
8. Rafal Majka (Pol) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
9. Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team 0:01:00
10. Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
11. Ivan Velasco Murillo (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
12. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
13. Tanel Kangert (Est) Astana Pro Team
14. Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
15. Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:01:05
16. Mathias Frank (Sui) BMC Racing Team 0:01:06
17. Simon Clarke (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team 0:01:09
18. Moreno Moser (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
19. Jean-Christophe Peraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:16
20. Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Esp) RadioShack-Nissan 0:01:25
21. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Sharp 0:01:30
22. Jan Bakelants (Bel) RadioShack-Nissan 0:02:12
23. José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Esp) Movistar Team 0:02:28
24. Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) Lampre-ISD 0:03:06
25. Manuele Mori (Ita) Lampre-ISD 0:03:14
26. Stephen Cummings (Gbr) BMC Racing Team 0:03:15
27. Daniele Bennati (Ita) RadioShack-Nissan 0:03:24
28. Chris Butler (USA) Champion System Pro Cycling Team 0:03:31
29. Allan Davis (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team 0:03:32
30. Jussi Veikkanen (Fin) FDJ-Big Mat 0:03:42
31. Maciej Paterski (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:03:43
32. Igor Anton Hernandez (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:03:45
33. Pablo Lastras Garcia (Esp) Movistar Team
34. Leigh Howard (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team 0:03:49
35. Ignatas Konovalovas (Ltu) Movistar Team 0:04:02
36. Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Katusha Team 0:04:25
37. Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:04:31
38. Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto Belisol Team 0:04:34
39. Petr Ignatenko (Rus) Katusha Team
40. Danilo Wyss (Sui) BMC Racing Team
41. Craig Lewis (USA) Champion System Pro Cycling Team 0:04:36
42. Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:05:01
43. Mikael Cherel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
44. David Tanner (Aus) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank 0:05:25
45. Maxim Belkov (Rus) Katusha Team 0:05:37
46. Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:05:38
47. Salvatore Puccio (Ita) Sky Procycling 0:05:45
48. Jaroslaw Marycz (Pol) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank 0:07:21
49. Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:07:30
50. Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:08:52
51. Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Astana Pro Team 0:09:30
52. Juan Manuel Garate (Esp) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:09:35
53. Dario Cataldo (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:09:44
54. Valentin Iglinskiy (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 0:09:57
55. Peio Bilbao (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:10:18
56. Javier Iriarte (Esp) Movistar Team 0:10:44
57. Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:11:20
58. Christian Meier (Can) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team 0:11:38
59. Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:11:40
60. Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Garmin-Sharp
61. Dmitriy Gruzdev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 0:12:33
62. Jesse Sergent (Nzl) RadioShack-Nissan 0:13:25
63. Adriano Malori (Ita) Lampre-ISD 0:13:26
64. Mads Christensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank 0:13:34
65. Hayden Roulston (Nzl) RadioShack-Nissan
66. Klaas Lodewyck (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:13:35
67. Jérémy Roy (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:14:19
68. Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Esp) Movistar Team
69. Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
70. Morris Possoni (Ita) Lampre-ISD 0:14:25
71. Dominique Rollin (Can) FDJ-Big Mat 0:14:42
72. Pengda Jiao (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team 0:14:51
73. Benjamin King (USA) RadioShack-Nissan 0:15:08
74. Sylvain Georges (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:15:09
75. George Bennett (Nzl) RadioShack-Nissan 0:15:59
76. Gang Xu (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team 0:16:32
77. Mikhail Ignatyev (Rus) Katusha Team 0:17:19
78. Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre-ISD 0:17:32
79. Alexey Tsatevich (Rus) Katusha Team
80. Gert Dockx (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 0:17:41
81. Frederik Veuchelen (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
82. Anthony Geslin (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
83. Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
84. Jos Van Emden (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:17:50
85. Anders Lund (Den) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
86. Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Garmin-Sharp 0:18:58
87. Pim Ligthart (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:19:33
88. Marco Haller (Aut) Katusha Team 0:19:36
89. Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:19:52
90. Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
91. Aaron Kemps (Aus) Champion System Pro Cycling Team
92. Jesus Herrada Lopez (Esp) Movistar Team
93. Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Garmin-Sharp
94. Clinton Robert Avery (Nzl) Champion System Pro Cycling Team
95. Mehdi Sohrabi (IRI) Lotto Belisol Team 0:20:01
96. Martin Kohler (Sui) BMC Racing Team
97. Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
98. Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Garmin-Sharp 0:20:26
99. Julien Vermote (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
100. Kenny De Haes (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 0:20:58
101. Barry Markus (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:21:48
102. Greg Henderson (Nzl) Lotto Belisol Team
103. Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
104. Enrique Sanz (Esp) Movistar Team
105. Tiziano Dall’antonia (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
106. Timofey Kritskiy (Rus) Katusha Team
107. Davide Vigano (Ita) Lampre-ISD
108. Rudiger Selig (Ger) Katusha Team
109. Maarten Wynants (Bel) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:21:57
110. Luke Rowe (Gbr) Sky Procycling
111. Grega Bole (Slo) Lampre-ISD
112. Cristiano Salerno (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:22:09
113. Alex Dowsett (Gbr) Sky Procycling
114. Alex Howes (USA) Garmin-Sharp
115. Mitchell Docker (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team 0:22:33
116. Mikel Landa Meana (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:22:45
117. Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:23:21
118. Christopher Sutton (Aus) Sky Procycling 0:24:24
119. Joost Van Leijen (Ned) Lotto Belisol Team
120. Maarten Neyens (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 0:24:33
121. Mauro Da Dalto (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
122. Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) Astana Pro Team
123. Thomas Dekker (Ned) Garmin-Sharp 0:25:08
124. Manuele Boaro (Ita) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank 0:25:34
125. Elia Viviani (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:25:57
126. Andrew Fenn (Gbr) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:26:01
127. Theo Bos (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:26:07
128. Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
129. Jetse Bol (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:26:16
130. Davide Cimolai (Ita) Lampre-ISD
131. Daniele Ratto (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:27:39
132. Frantisek Rabon (Cze) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:29:15
133. Iljo Keisse (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:30:12
134. Marco Bandiera (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:30:59
135. Andy Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan 0:31:55
136. Kun Jiang (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team 0:32:49
137. Biao Liu (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team 0:33:52