Tommaso Bessega (4th) close to the podium on the third stage of Vuelta a Zamora

The third stage of the Vuelta a Zamora was resolved with the first sprint of the race. A very reduced group was fighting for the victory and Tommaso Bessega sprinted to the fourth position. The Italian, very regular, achieved his third top 10 of the week.

The day, the longest of the race, looked set for a possible sprint finish despite the six climbs to be overcome along the way. The stage started with a lot of attacks and speed. Gabriele Bessega broke into the first breakaway of the day with Dario Giuliano and Samuel Novak responding to the attacks and forming part of the chasing group. After the first hour at high speed the breakaway was neutralized. The race continued with different attack and counter-attack attempts. Another group of seven managed to open up an advantage, but the bunch closed the gap.

It was around the 100th kilometre of the stage when the decisive move occurred. A lead group was formed with almost all the teams represented and with five riders, out of six, from the team in contention for the win. Tommaso Bessega was fourth surrounded with his brother Gabriele, Raccagni, Novak and Giuliano.

“With 20 kilometres to go, the team started to control in order to have a sprint and we did everything we could to do that. The result was not the right one, but the attitude and the aptitude was good, with a job of 10. The result is not positive because we came here to win, but it adds up. Tomorrow more”, explained Miguel Gómez, sports director at the end of the stage.