• Giro d'Italia, Stage Three

Kittel beats Swift on the line to win stage three

ESPN staff
May 11, 2014
Marcel Kittel won his second successive stage in the Giro d'Italia © Getty Images
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Marcel Kittel beat Team Sky's Ben Swift by the width of a wheel to claim victory in stage three of the Giro d'Italia in Dublin.

Swift, Great Britain's only representative in the event, looked set for the win after the 187 kilometre route between the Northern Irish city of Armagh and Dublin, but Kittel produced a superb burst of speed to wrap up his second successive stage win.

Giant-Shimano rider Kittel produced a similar finish in Saturday's second stage in Belfast before powering to victory in the Republic of Ireland capital with a time of four hours 28 minutes and 43 seconds.

Swift looked a shoe-in to cross the line first when Sky team-mate and lead-out Edvald Boasson Hagen moved aside in the final 200m, but Kittel timed his move perfectly to pip the Brit in the final five metres.

Orica GreenEdge rider Michael Matthews finished safely in the peloton to retain his overall lead and will wear the pink jersey for stage four on Monday.

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