Alex Howes of Cannondale Drapac clinches stage 3 of Tour of Alberta
Howes is tied with teammate Slagter for the Leader's Jersey
With about 300 metres to go on the third stage of the Tour of Alberta, Alex Howes, riding for Cannondale Drapac, jumped from the field to hold off a chasing field of riders to take the win at the University of Alberta.
The U.S. rider put a comfortable margin between himself and teammate Wouter Wippert, a Netherlands rider, who took the stage 2 win on Saturday.
Coming of a stage win last month at the Colorado Classic, the U.S. rider, who excels at shorter climbs, managed to put that power to his advantage. “I jumped coming to the top of the climb [out of the River Valley] and was trying to lead out Woulter,” Howes said, “because I think he’s the top sprinter in the race. When I got a gap, he yelled ‘go for it’ so I kept going and held on.”
“The end of the year is going well for me and the team,” he added.
Evan Huffman continued to perform with considerable strength during stage 3, retaining an overall lead by 18 seconds over teammate Sepp Kuss. In overall classification, stage winner Howes claims a tie in third place with teammate Tom-Jelte Slagter, 31 seconds behind.
INDIVIDUAL STAGE RESULTS
1. Alex Howes (USA), Cannondale Drapac 2.30’31”
2. Wouter Wippert (NED), Cannondale Drapac S.T.
3. Colin Joyce (USA), Rally Cycling S.T.
ATB FINANCIAL LEADER JERSEY
1. Evan Huffman (USA), Rally Cycling 9.14’28”
2. Sepp Kuss (USA), Rally Cycling +18″
3. Alex Howes (USA), Cannondale Drapac +31″
4. Tom-Jelte Slagter (NED), Cannondale Drapac +31″
5. Christopher Jones (USA), UnitedHealthcare +35″
