Cycling: Three in a row for PureBlack

PureBlack Racing team. Photo / Supplied

Christchurch cyclist Dan Barry handed his PureBlack Racing team their third stage win in succession by claiming stage three of the Tour de Toona in Pennsylvania yesterday.

Barry claimed his first stage win of the season to top the podium after teammates Roman van Uden won the tour's opening and Scott Lyttle triumphed in the second stage.

Lyttle went into yesterday in the yellow jersey and maintained his hold on the overall lead to go into the fourth and final day of the tour with a 27s advantage.

But the day belonged to Barry who was part of a seven-man break on the hilly 150km stage and he stayed clear of the chasing peloton over the closing stages to claim the stage.

PureBlack had to work hard to keep Lyttle in yellow and they orchestrated the peloton's chase to reel in the break.

"Today we saw the huge strength of this team," said Carl Williams, sports director of PureBlack Racing. "The teamwork the guys showed in an incredibly aggressive day of racing was just amazing."

Lyttle is set to stay in yellow with the final stage a 30-lap criterium around a 1.2km loop in downtown Altoona.

- NZPA