Spain's Juan Jose Lobato clinched a summit finish victory in the key stage three of the Tour of Dubai Friday as Italy's Giacomo Nizzolo seized the overall leader's blue jersey. Finishing the race at the steep Hatta Dam way after a 172km ride through the city and the desert, the Movistar man also seized second place in the overall standings from Germany's Marcel Kittel. "I knew this finale from last year and it's exactly the kind of finish that I like," Lobato said after the race. "It was all about being well positioned before the last climb and I was indeed," he said. "I'm very happy to get my first win of the year here." Nizzolo, who had maintained third place during the first and second stages of the tour, steadily made his way to the overall lead Friday. Friday's third stage embarked from the Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort to the Hatta Dam near the border with Oman where racers were challenged with two climbs and descents. Swiss rollers Silvan Dillier and Fabian Cancellara and Belgian puncher Philippe Gilbert arrived four seconds after Lobato. The first kilometer of the race featured a breakaway led by Spain's Francisco Mancebo. Later as the road began to climb towards the Hatta Dam, Kazakh racer Dimitry Gruzdev led another escape. The fourth and final stage Saturday will run 132 kms within the city of Dubai ending at its iconic Burj Khalifa — the world's tallest tower. Ewan wins stage 2, Sky in overall lead Caleb Ewan won a tough second stage of the Herald Sun Tour in Australia Friday, but Team Sky's Peter Kennaugh and Chris Froome did enough to stay on top in the overall standings. Rising Australian sprinter Ewan, who won two stages of the Tour Down Under last month, completed the 144.2-kilometre stage in three hours, 29 minutes and six seconds. The 21-year-old Orica GreenEDGE rider came in just ahead of American Tanner Putt (UHC) and Sky team-mates Kennaugh and Froome, followed by Australian Jack Bobridge (Trek-Segafredo). British road champion and Olympic gold medalist Kennaugh, who won the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race last week, leads the overall standings on 6hr 33min 21sec, 13 seconds ahead of two-time Tour de France winner Froome. Friday's race, which began in the grazing farmlands of South Gippsland's Yarra Junction and ended in the town of Moe, saw several riders break away early. The six fought it out to the finish line with Ewan crossing first. "I gave it one last dig at the end but I knew it was always going to be hard to shake Caleb off," said Kennaugh. — Agencies
