Tour Mediterranéen: Two in two days for Michel Kreder in shortened stage three

Race lead for Garmin-Barracuda Dutchman as the snow continues to disrupt southern France

Michel Kreder (Garmin-Barracuda) took his second victory in two days as the unusually harsh weather conditions in the south of France saw an altered third stage of the Tour Mediterranéen. What was supposed to be a 127km stage between La Seyne sur Mer and La Londe les Maures was changed to ten laps of an eleven-kilometre circuit around the finishing town.



Where his victory the previous day had been a last minute improvisation from his team as he was leading a fast lead out for Garmin-Barracuda sprinter Koldo Fernandez, the second stage was a premeditated sprint from the 24-year-old Dutchman; he finished more than a bike length clear of Danilo Napolitano (Acqua & Sapone) and Guillaume Blot (Bretagne-Schuller).



Time bonuses from Kreder’s second straight stage victory mean that the Dutchman moves into the outright lead. With the following day’s final stage finishing – weather permitting – at the top of Mont Faron, on the outskirts of Toulon, though, the race’s final classification will almost certainly look very different.

Velonation.com