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Monday, September 14, 2009 Another win for Boasson Hagen by Nick Mulder at 12:58 PM EST   comments Categories: Pro Cycling, Race Reports and Results, Tour of Britain   Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Columbia) won the third stage of the Tour of Britain. The talented Norwegian sprinted ahead of the Italian Michele Merlo (Barloworld) and the Australian Chris Sutton (Garmin). Dutchman Kai Reus (Rabobank) still maintains an 11 second advantage over Boasson Hagen entering stage four. Tony Martin (Team Columbia) dropped Boasson Hagen off with 300 meters to go piloting his teammate to victory in Gretna. “It was maybe a little bit early to go but I made it and I’m really happy. The guys were really good today and I’m happy with that,” commented Boasson Hagen after the finish. “It’s very nice with the stage victories, and if I do that then it’s possible to take the yellow jersey,” he added. The 153.8 kilometer stage took the peloton from Peebles to Gretna and saw four riders escape including perennial attacker Thomas De Gendt (Topsport Vlaanderen), Martin Reimer (Cervelo), Rob Ruygh (Vacansoleil), and Darren Lapthorne (Rapha Condor). The quartet was caught inside the final 25 kilometers as Team Columbia and Rabobank forced the chase. As the four were caught, a flurry of attacks took place that saw an impressive solo effort by Emilien Berges (Agritubel) as he held off the peloton until he ran out of gas with just two kilometers remaining. Another surprise of the day was De Gendt who featured in his third breakaway, amassing 413 kilometers off the front. His efforts were rewarded as he extended his lead in the sprint and king of the mountains classifications. Reus enjoyed his day in yellow, “It’s very special. Yesterday was a very special day and I had a lot of messages. It was incredible.” He still remains realistic about his overall chances, “In the beginning I could feel my legs but the stage for me was easy, but for the team I think it was really hard. The day was up and down, but it was ok. Tomorrow is easy, and I think a bunch sprint, but then maybe Boasson Hagen wins again and then he is the leader, so maybe I am sitting here for the last time, but that’s life.”       comments Follow @Pro_Cycling Tweet Subscribe via RSS or daily email Contact the editor about this article