Queen stage sees solo winner in Hainan

With four categorized climbs, stage 3 of the Tour of Hainan was seen as the Queen stage. The race was every bit as tough as expected with the last climb topping out at 6 kilometers to the finish. A solo escapee won with six seconds and earned himself the race lead while the rest of the peloton finished behind in drips and drabs.

David Lozano, returning to racing after an injury layoff, was the first rider home for Team Novo Nordisk in 34^th place.

David Lozano:

“I’m still missing some speed and the high intensity after having some time off through injury so I couldn’t follow the top of the climb with the best guys. I’ve been training for a month and the feeling is still not the best and it’s the first time I’m going for a result. I felt like I had a fire in my chest but I expect over time for it to get better. With my experience I know it’s all about surviving to the next day. The guys did a great job riding together and getting bottles. Unfortunately we lost Hamish today but we still have a strong team here to tackle the last two stages and see what we can get out of it.”