VietNamNet Bridge – Le Van Duan of the Domesco Dong Thap team crossed the finishing line for an easy win over his rivals in stage three of the Return to the Roots race yesterday, May 17.

Duan, who won the prologue at Hoan Kiem Lake on Sunday, made the 85km journey from Viet Tri City to Tuyen Quang City in 1hr 57.07sec.

The win gave Duan possession of the yellow jersey after three stages with a total time of 4hrs 30.15sec, 20 seconds ahead of teammate Nguyen Truong Tai and An Giang Plant Protection's Ho Huynh Van An.

Duan also took the green jersey for the best sprinter.

His teammate Mai Nguyen Hung finished second with Ho Van Phuc of ADC Vinh Long Television in third.

Good conditions gave the 67 riders a smooth run throughout the stage, averaging around 43 km/h.

Sai Gon Plant Protection Team 1 lead the overall team standings with an accumulated time of 13hrs 32.27sec, with Domesco Dong Thap and An Giang Plant Protection close on their heels.

Riders will cover another 147km today as they make the uphill journey from Tuyen Quang to Bac Can.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News