LONDON, Sept 9, 2008 (AFP) – France’s Emilien Berges won the third stage of the Tour of Britain on Tuesday, a victory which saw him take the overall leader’s yellow jersey from Alessandro Petacchi.
But Berges, who crossed the line just ahead of his Agritubel team-mate Geoffroy Lequarte, was under no illusions asbout the task in front of him as the race headed into the English Midlands.
“It was a really good day – I went off well and I was able to work well with my team-mate (Lequarte),” the 25-year-old said.
“Originally my plan was to lead out for the sprint and to help him get to the front but when I got up to the front the others just seemed to let me go.
“Time trialling is my specialty so once I was out in front I knew I had a good chance and once I saw that there were no motorbikes behind me I knew I’d done it and I just enjoyed the ride home.
“But the hard work starts now – it’s hard getting up there but it is even harder to stay out at the front.”