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YOGYAKARTA - The Giant Asia Racing Team continued its domination of the Dji Sam Soe Tour d'Indonesia Wednesday, winning the third straight stage of the race and retaining
control of the yellow jersey. This time it was the turn of Giant rider Iranian rider Hossein Askari to take the spotlight - he soloed into Jogjakarta for the stage win and took over the race lead from his teammate Paul Griffin.
"The team worked very hard today," said Askari. Asked about the exchange of the yellow jersey, he said "It's not about who comes first. We'll keep trying and we'll take what we can get." Stage three was relatively long at 203 kilometres, and difficult, with an "above category"climb, the most challenging of the entire tour. The peak came in the middle of the race, meaning those who crested the climb first would have to hold on for nearly a 100 kilometres if they wanted to win the stage.
Attacking early was Indonesian hope Amin Suryana, riding for the Telkomsel squad. Amin and a small group of riders worked hard and at one point lead the main pack by over five minutes. Suryana took second place points in the hot-spot sprint at Banjarnegara, began he soon began to fade on the lower slopes of the "above category" climb. As Suryana slid back, Rhys Pollack, an Austrailain riding for the
Greenfields Fresh Milk team, jumped ahead. Riding alone, Pollack punched it to the top of the climb, with Khazak rider Yevgenity Yakolev (Polygon Sweet Nice) chasing. Yakolev caught the Aussie only a couple of hundred metres from the summit, then passed him to take the King of the Mountains points. Over the top of the climb, the
Khazah sat up and waited for Pollack, and together the two joined forces on the long descent in a bid to stay clear to the finish.
But the Giant team had other plans. On the descent, the Giant riders, now in the third group, began chewing through the splintered pack until they reached the leaders. Askari launched an attack eighteen kilometres from the finish, and held on to take the win in Jogjakarta. Behind him there was a furious bunch sprint for second place, with
Indonesian rider Nunung Burhanudin (Benteng Muda) edging out Robin Reid (Greenfields Fresh Milk). Ryan Ariehan (Dodol Picnic) had another excellent day, finishing in the second group to take ninth place on the stage, 24 seconds down on Askari.
Ariehan keeps the red-and-white jersey of best Indonesian rider in the Tour, a prize he says he would like to keep all the way the finish in Denpasar. "Maybe I will try and win stage" as well, he added. "I hope my team will support me." Rhyan Tanguilig of the Philipines holds on to the green jersey as leader of the points competition. Yakolev takes over the polka-dot King-of-the-Mountains jersey. Askari takes over the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification, from his team mate Paul Griffin, who slides to second place on GC, 43 seconds down.
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