Cykeltouren - NE

Sweden, May 22-27, 2001

Stage 3 - May 24: Örebro - Karlskoga, 147.4 km

Results

Stage 3 was cancelled after the peloton lost its direction on the finishing laps in Karlskoga. At that moment a duo, Danish National rider Jacob Andersen and MGI's Alain van Katwijk, had a 39 seconds lead with the peloton closing in. The peloton took a wrong turn on the first lap but soon got on track again.

Then on the second lap the peloton went completely off course on another part of the lap. Meanwhile the Dutchman van Katwijk outsprinted his Danish companion for the stage win, while the peloton never had to finish the stage.

First the organizers cancelled the whole stage but after Dutch and Danish protests the gave the two a 39 second margin over the peloton. New protests arrived and a new cancelling decision was made ending in a Danish withdrawal from the race. Jacob Andersen was before the stage 47 seconds behind leading Jonas Ljungblad, Team Crescent, van Katwijk was 1.10 behind.

Rules are quite clear: cyclists are supposed to know the parcours but still the organizers feel responsible. "One cannot expect that the riders at 60 kph are able to see all signs", said deputy race manager Anders Björklund to local news paper Nya Wermlands Tidningen.