A Finger pointing to the sky: August pays tribute to Tarling with second stage victory in the Czech Republic

The third stage of the Czech Tour was won by Andrew August. The American from Netcompany INEOS was the best on a tough uphill finish and, wearing the leader's jersey, was the winner for the second time in a row. At the finish, he first pointed to his black armband and then to the sky, as a tribute to the late Finlay Tarling.

After a sprint finish in Stage 1 in the Czech Republic, the general classification contenders were put to the test as early as Stage 2. Netcompany INEOS did the hard work, and saw that effort rewarded by Andrew August. The American was the strongest in a select group during an uphill sprint and scored a one-two finish.

In the third stage, he would have to defend his lead tooth and nail right from the start. After a relatively flat stage, the route would finish on Dlouhé Strane, a climb of over 13 kilometers at a 5.4 percent gradient. Seven riders managed to break away early and built a lead over the peloton.

Among them were Manuele Tarozzi (Bardiani CSF Saber 7), Jan Castellon (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA), and Nolan Huysmans (Flanders-Baloise)—three riders who were within two minutes of the leader’s jersey. That’s why they weren’t given too much leeway. As the final climb came into view, the gap was down to just one minute.

The breakaway group did start the final climb with a lead, but the peloton, led by Netcompany INEOS, quickly closed in. Tarozzi and Castellon climbed well, but were caught with ten kilometers to go. That was the signal for Geoffrey Bouchard to make his move.

The French rider from TotalEnergies accelerated and took Kamiel Bonneu (Solution Tech - NIPPO - Rali) with him. The Belgian then continued solo, but the peloton—which had by then become more of a strong group of favorites—was never far behind. His breakaway came to an end in the final three kilometers. That was the moment August made his move.

The yellow jersey wearer decided to launch an attack on his own. Only Alessandro Fancellu (MBH Bank) and Domenico Pozzovivo (Solution Tech)—Friday’s second- and third-place finishers—were able to keep up. The latter Italian had to drop back during a second surge, but his young compatriot managed to hang on by a thread. They went into a sprint, where the explosive August came out on top. He immediately paid tribute to Finlay Tarling, who had died during the Tour of Portugal.