Australian Roe (right) finished 8th on the stage

Trek-LIVESTRONG’S Tim Roe, riding for the Australian national team, moved into 4th position in the general classification after an exceptional day of climbing. After suffering a barbed wire laceration in yesterday’s crash, the 20-year-old Aussie not only recovered enough to start stage three, but finished eighth and now lies fourth overall. Yannick Eijssen of Belgium won the stage and takes over the leader’s jersey.

Stage 3 of the Tour de l’Avenir ran 157-kilometer from Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule Col du Béal. As the race heads southeast into the mountains, today’s course featured four categorized climbs and a mountain top finish.

Alex Dowsett started the day in yellow, marking the third consecutive day Trek-LIVESTRONG lead the Tour de l’Avenir.  The 21-year-old Brit took the race lead after Trek-LIVESTRONG teammate Taylor Phinney crashed badly on stage 2. Phinney won the prologue and protected the jersey into Stage 2 prior to his crash. Despite severe road rash, the American Paris-Roubaix U23 champion was able to continue the race.

The prestigious race translating to “The Race of the Future” is widely considered the Under-23 equivalent of the Tour de France. Riders from 20 teams will cross 1,013 kilometers before ending with a 13.5-kilometer uphill individual time trial in the Alpine resort town of Risoul.

After two decades of allowing professional riders to compete, the race has reverted back to the U23 national team format since 2007. Twenty teams are competing with leading Trek-LIVESTRONG talent representing teams from Great Britain (Alex Dowsett), Australia (Tim Roe & Ben King) and the United States (Taylor Phinney & Ben King).

In a change-up that resembled the Tour of Utah, Alex Dowsett moved in to the overall lead, taking the yellow jersey from Taylor Phinney, in the Stage 2 of the Tour de l’Avenir. Phinney suffered an unfortunate crash, finishing 20 minutes behind the stage 2 winner Anthony Delaplace (France), as rainy weather and narrow roads proved a dangerous combination for the 143-rider peleton.

Only six seconds behind Phinney in the opening prologue, Trek-LIVESTRONG’s Alex Dowsett finished in the lead pack to secure yellow for the second time in a matter of weeks.

The 21-year-old racing for Great Britain spoke of teammate Phinney, “It’s always nice to be in yellow [but] Taylor Phinney is a very good friend and it bothers me to take advantage of his fall.”

Likewise, Phinney commented it was bittersweet to lose the yellow jersey but giving it to Trek-LIVESTRONG was a great upside to a unlucky day.

Following the race, Phinney was immediately examined for broken bones at a nearby hospital. Several reports have concluded the world champion and Paris-Roubaix U23 winner will continue the race, having only suffered mild road rash.

The narrow, wet roads of France also took down Trek-LIVESTRONG’s Tim Roe, racing for the Australian National Team. After crashing into a barbed wire fence, Roe still managed to finish the day’s stage and receive medical care to continue to race.

Following hospital visits, Roe, too, looks to start Stage 3’s 157-kilometer trek from Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule Col du Béal. The stage will favor climbers as the final kilometers bring two Category 1 ascents.

PHINNEY SUSTAINS MINOR ROAD RASH INJURIES

A RAIN-DRENCHED START TO STAGE 2

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