Team Sky’s Elia Viviani sprinted to his second win at the 2015 Aviva Tour of Britain on stage three on Tuesday.
The Italian - victorious on stage one - won convincingly in the bunch finish in Kelso after the 216-kilometre journey from Cockermouth as Movistar’s Juan Jose Lobato moved into the Aviva Yellow Jersey.
Great Britain Cycling Team’s Alex Peters was impressive in the finale to take ninth while Tao Geoghagen Hart moved up to 15th in the general classification.
Race leader at the start of the day, Etixx-Quick-Step’s Petr Vakoc crashed just outside the three-kilometre mark which would have given him the same time as the stage winner.
Instead he lost the yellow jersey, crossing the line 10 minutes after the lead group.
MTN-Qhubeka’s Tyler Farrar, NFTO’s Johnny McEvoy, Cult Energy’s Russell Downing, An-Post – Chain Reaction’s Aidis Kruopis, Madison Genesis’s Matt Cronshaw and One Pro Cycling’s Marcin Bialoblocki had built up a gap of six minutes on the bunch at one point.
Farrar’s aggressive riding could only be matched by Cronshaw and Bialoblocki as McEvoy, Downing and Kruopis were dropped with less than 60km left.
But any hopes of a winner from the trio were ended on the final climb at Dingleton as the peloton caught them to leave a sprint finish for the second time in three days.
Team Wiggins' Owain Doull is in the Best British Rider jersey, sixth in the general classification.
