Stage 3 of Belgrade Banjaluka took the peloton 120 kilometers from Bratunac to Šekovići. While technically the most elevation-heavy day of the race, the ascent to 600 meters served more as a minor inconvenience for the Continental field than a true mountain test. DS Dejan Percic emphasized that the primary mission was safeguarding Veljko Stojnić’s second place in the General Classification. Under clear skies, the team ramped up the pace on the day’s main climb 25 kilometers from the finish, attempting to shake the sprinters. Despite the high tempo, the lead group remained largely intact, leading to a frantic finish. On the slightly downhill sprint, Nikiforos Arvanitou unleashed a powerful kick, missing the top spot by a matter of inches. The team maintains its lead in the overall team classification, with Veljko ready to defend his podium spot on the final day.
Niki on his close sprint:
Today it was a sprint at the end with more speed than yesterday. A bit downhill so it was really fast. I tried to wait as long as possible and start from there, but Rajović had my wheel and managed to pass me in the last meters.
But the team did a great job with the positioning at the last km. Everyone pushed hard on the climb but my legs were good and I felt quite comfy.
News from Csongor’s engine room:
In the first half of the stage, I controlled the breakaways, but in the end, no one went away, so I set the tempo at the front of the pack to let the others rest. Before the mountain, Rastko took over from me, so I could drop back a bit. The 10 km climb started 25 km from the finish, where I kept the team at the front: we tried to set a high tempo to drop the sprinter leading the overall classification. Unfortunately, this didn’t work out in the end. In the second half of the mountain, I slipped back in the bunch and reached the top with the first 30 people. After a few minutes of rest on the descent, 12 km from the finish, I moved to the front again and set a high pace to prevent attacks. Then, 3 km from the end, the sprint lead-out began, so I handed over to the others who finished the stage with Niki.
I already worked quite a lot yesterday. In a crosswind section, I got quite far back and even dropped off a bit, so I didn’t think that 20 km later I would be at the front again. We got into an 8-man breakaway with Jani. There wasn’t much harmony, but we still managed to build a 35 second lead. Since there wasn’t full agreement, Jani rested more at the back so that if we made it to the end, he could sprint, while I worked as much as I could. Finally, we were caught 3 km from the finish, but at least the Serbians had to use all their men for the chase. This way, their GC leader had no lead-out for the sprint, and Niki won the stage thanks in part to this.
The team is quite well organized. Veljko is the captain: he directs us during the race because what happens isn’t always what we planned. It’s very hard to work all day, I’m putting out huge average watts, but I really enjoy being able to help and that we have such a strong team to control the race with.
The final stage will be similar to the second, so the tactics will depend on the wind. It might be necessary to watch all day and stay at the front, or it could be that a breakaway goes which we can control, and there will be a quieter part of the race. It’s hard to tell in advance: it’s a long stage, many things can change along the way.
I’m expecting an exciting day. One thing is for sure: we want to defend Veljko’s second place in the GC, and we want to give Niki another chance to sprint for first place.
Photo: Marcell Lippai
