37th Etoile de Besseges - Stage 3
Nick Nuyens opens the 2007 account for Cofidis after perfect team work!!

By Bart Hazen

Cendras - La Grande Combe (138 km)
The third stage of the Etoile de Bessèges from Cendras to La Grande Combe, over a distance of 138,0 kilometers. The stage was animated in the first attack by 8 riders. The 8; Christophe Mengin (La Francaise des Jeux), Christophe Laurent (Credit Agricole), Mikhail Ignatiev (Tinkoff), Jeremy Hunt (Unibet), Andy Flickinger (Bouygues Telecom), Pieter Mertens (Predictor-Lotto), Sebastien Minard (Cofidis) and Stef Clement (Bouygues Telecom).

The maximum lead of the 8 riders gained about 1.30. In the peloton there was a massive crash with Leukemans and Bert de Waele as the main victims. Both where brought to the hospital where they diagnosed a broken (left) collarbone for Leukemans. André Greipel and Mark Cavendish (T-Mobile) left the race as well but they had both problems with there stomach. The 8 riders where caught with 40 km to go.

Then Ignatiev (Tinkoff), Joly (Francaise des Jeux) and Van Summeren (Predictor-Lotto) tried to escape. There lead was around 15 sec. Then Joly attacked and with less then 20 km to go he was caught by 3 riders of Cofidis namely Kevin de Weert, Sebastien Minard and Geoffroy Lequatre. Joly was the first who lost contact followed by Minard. In the last 5 km the 2 remaining Cofidis riders where joined by Cofidis teamleader Nick Nuyens, Preben van Hecke (Predictor) and Tinkoff rider Vasil Kiryienka.

In the sprint it was Nuyens who won ahead of Kiryienka and Preben van Hecke. Nuyens is also the new leader with two more stages to go.

The Remaining Stages :
4ème étape (samedi 10 février) : Les Fumades-Les Fumades (151 km)
5ème étape (dimanche 11 février) : Gagnières-Bessèges (148 km)

Result Stage 3:
Cendras - La Grande Combe -138 km
1 Nick Nuyens (Bel) Cofidis
2 Vasil Kiryienka (Rus) Tinkoff Credit System
3 Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Predictor-Lotto
4 Kevin De Weert (Bel) Cofidis 0.05
5 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Cofidis 0.30
6 Jukka Vastaranta (Fin) Jartazi-7 Mobile 0.46
7 Sébastien Minard (Fra) Cofidis
8 Sébastien Joly (Fra) Française des Jeux
9 Laurent Brochard (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
10 Alexander Serov (Rus) Tinkoff Credit System

General Classification after stage 3
1 Nick Nuyens (Bel) Cofidis
2 Vasil Kiryienka (Rus) Tinkoff 0.08
3 Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Predictor-Lotto 0.10
4 Kevin De Weert (Bel) Cofidis 0.19
5 Sébastien Minard (Fra) Cofidis 0.41
6 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Cofidis 0.42
7 Jukka Vastaranta (Fin) Jartazi 0.44
8 Laurent Brochard (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
9 Baden Cooke (Aus) Unibet.com 0.48
10 Pieter Mertens (Bel) Predictor Lotto 0.59