September 4, 2004 – With the steepest hills behind them, the Tour of Britain’s third stage offered the 89 remaining starters 192km of rolling hills, brisk winds, and a interesting mix of pastoral landscape and urban sprints to capture the attention of the enthusiastic spectators.

Without the challenge of any serious climbs to temper the ambitions of the timid, the 0 km banner was again met with unbridled aggression as a steady series of attacks and counter attacks sparked the opening moments of the race. The days first KOM at 12 km was not a steep climb, but the speed at which the assent was assaulted caused several riders to get dropped immediately. After the climb, the field settled down, and Navigators Insurance sprinter, Viktor Rapinski, set out followed by US Postal’s Benjamin Noval, Credit Agricole’s Andrey Kashechin, and Ireland’s Philip Deignan. The latter two were both at 20″ on GC.

The four worked well together, building 1’30″ lead before Kashechin had some bike difficulty and elected to return to the field. The gap to the three leaders continued to build as Chocolade Jacques rode a moderate tempo. With the lead at 14 minutes, and almost 130 km remaining, the Jacques boys began to take the tempo up seriously. After Deignan gained a 2″ time bonus, it appeared that he began thinking about the toll a long break would take, and the probable payback in the later stages, and he began to sit on Rapinski and Noval. As the lead dipped under eight minutes, Deignan sat up, and started his leisurely return to the field. Once they had reeled in their GC opponent, the Chocolade Jacques boys had no interest on expending unnecessary energy, and they gave up the chase.

With time bonuses at the finish being a crucial strategy over the final three stages, several teams were not happy with the escapee’s chances, and soon Credit Agricole, Quickstep, Panaria, and Barloworld took the chase. With the four teams charging into the wind, and over the rolling terrain, the two breakaways could not match pace, and the gap began to come down steadily. On the final KOM climb, with less than 20 km to go, the cap was just over two minutes. Sensing an opportunity, Noval attacked and Rapinski could not follow. The Peloton was storming at full throttle, and the “Moose from Belarus” was lassoed inside 10km. Noval held on for another 5km before succumbing, and the sprinter’s teams, most notable Julian Dean’s Credit squad, went into lead-out mode.

A dicey approach with one roundabout, a hard left into a bridge crossing, and a sharp narrow 90 degree turn, all in the last km, guaranteed a risky finish. Quickstep came up hard for Boonen, and Navigators made a push for Power, as the Irishman got through the last turn first. Power hesitated out of the turn, still almost 400meters from the line, and Boonen got the big jump, taking the win in front of Panaria”šs stagiere, Grillo, and Dean in third. The Brits, Hammond and Hunt gave the crowd a thrill with their 4th and 5th, as Navigators Insurance Obee and Power finished 6th and 8th.

Stage 3:
1. Tom Boonen (Quick Step)
2. Paride Grillo (Panaria)
3. Julian Dean (Credit Agricole)

GC (under protest):
1. Ardila (Choc. Jacques)
2. Leblacher (Credit)
3. Nuyens (Quickstep) @05″°
7. Chris Baldwin (Navigators Insurance) @09