Matt Teggart, leading, is out of Etoile de Bessèges in France but it appears as if he was wise to call it a day for now (Photo with thanks to Kim Caritoux)
The An Post-Chainreaction team has endured a tough day in biblical conditions in Etoile de Bessèges in France.
The sole Irish rider in the race, An Post-ChainReaction man Matt Teggart, has unfortunately been forced to abandon.
He experienced a knee problem mid-stage on today’s 152km third stage around Bessège and wisely withdrew.
Teggart (20) was riding his first stage at this level having signed for An Post-Chainreaction team over the winter.
He’ll now regroup and have his injury examined to ensure it does not interrupt his racing in the weeks and months ahead.
His team mates Massimo Vanderaerden, Przemyslaw Kasperkiewicz and Dan Gardner were active in the early exchanges today but the groups they were in were recaptured before the race split to pieces as the rain fell in very cold temperatures made even colder by the wind chill.
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It was one of those days in France; the road went up, the rain came down and the temperatures plummeted all at the same time (Photo with thanks to Kim Caritoux)
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A group of 35 riders would pull clear and with the sprinters who dominated the opening stages not liking the climbs, those left behind saw little point in pushing on hard after them.
Instead they went back to the cars to get their jackets and other extra layers to keep warm and get to the finish.
When the racing reached the finishing circuit the leaders were so far ahead of the peloton – the gap going over 12 minutes – they were in danger of lapping the peloton on the 7km loop around Bessège.
Lillian Calmejane (Direct Energie) staged a late solo attack from the lead group to claim victory by 7 seconds from Mads Würtz Schmidt (Katusha), with the rest of the lead group a further two seconds back.
It means Calmejane now leads overall by 17 seconds from Würtz Schmidt, with Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal) at 18 seconds and the leader’s team mate Sylvain Chavanel in 4th at 22 seconds.
The final road stage tomorrow takes the riders 153km from Chusclan to Laudun L'Ardoise, with the race set to conclude on Sunday with a 12km TT.
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