Roche blasts to third stage victory at Tour of Beijing

Nicolas Roche of the AG2R-La Mondiale team won the third stage of Tour of Beijing from Mentougou to Yongning Town here on Friday. The Irishman took the lead with a three-man group and finally beat compatriot Philip Deignan of RadioShack, followed by Briton Christopher Froome of Sky Procycling in the third place. "I'm obviously happy, it's a victory that feels good. This is my second win since I joined AG2R La Mondiale," said Roche. It is Roche's first-ever UCI WorldTour victory, and his first win since the 2009 Irish road race championships. "From a personal point of view, it is a difficult season, and the team also has experienced a complicated end of season," added Roche. Tony Martin of HTC Highroad kept his overall lead after crossing the line 21st and retaining his red leader's jersey. With only two stages left in the race, the German cyclist is likely to win the first-ever UCI Tour of Beijing on Sunday. "I would like to win. The two stage left are both flat, I have confidence to win in Beijing," said Martin. Sky Procycling maintained their lead in team classification as Michael Barry took the ninth place and Stephen Cumming placed 38th. The remaining two stages are the 189.5km fourth stage from Yanqing Guichuan Square to Shunyi Olympic Rowing/Canoeing Center and the 118km final stage from Tiananmen Square to the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium. The 2011 Tour of Beijing is the last stage race on the 2011 UCI WorldTour calendar, finishing six days before the final event of the season, the one-day Giro di Lombardia (Italy) on October 15.