Colombian cycling was the protagonist in the third stage of the Tour of Oman, held this Monday, February 9, with an outstanding performance by Diego Pescador.

The young runner established himself as the best national representative of the day by crossing the finish line in sixth position, just seven seconds behind the winner, the Swiss Mauro Schmid.

Schmid won with a time of four hours, 13 minutes and 17 seconds after a demanding 191.3-kilometer route between Samail and Eastern Mountain, whose final climb of 3.5 kilometers at a 7.8% incline selected the best of the peloton.

Nairo Quintana also had an active role in defining the stage, launching an attack 2.5 kilometers from the end to try to break the race.

Although the boy from Boyacá was unable to maintain the difference against the push of Schmid, the Italian Christian Scaroni and the Norwegian Martin Tjotta, who completed the podium, his effort allowed him to finish in box 11, 20 seconds behind the winner.

With this result, Quintana managed to move up the main table and place himself in tenth place in the general classification.

Diego Pescador and Nairo Quintana get into the Top 10 after the queen stage in Oman

On the other hand, the day was eventful for the Colombian sprinters Juan Sebastián Molano and Fernando Gaviria.

Both riders were involved in a fall a few kilometers from the finish line, which prevented them from competing in the finish and relegated them to positions 103 and 104, respectively, with a difference of 12 minutes and 12 seconds.

It is worth remembering that both Molano and Gaviria had shone at the beginning of the competition, achieving first and second place during the sprint of the opening stage.

After these results, the general classification shows Diego Pescador in fifth place, 17 seconds behind the leader Mauro Schmid, followed by Nairo Quintana in the top 10, 30 seconds behind the lead. Further behind are Molano in box 106 and Gaviria in box 107.

The competition will continue this Tuesday, February 10, with a fourth stage of 146.8 kilometers between Al Sawadi Beach and Sohar, a flat course that represents an ideal opportunity for speed specialists to make up ground before Wednesday’s mountainous closure.

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