The empire strikes back. One day after his puncture, Olympic champion Jaroslav Kulhavy (Specialized Racing) puts in a great performance on the 66.2-kilometre point-to-point in Lythrodontas. Especially in the last six kilometers. An eight-rider lead group climbed together towards the highest point of the stage. Shortly before the long single trail down to Mantra tou Kampiou, there is a sprint for the best position.

Jaroslav Kulhavy wins, followed by Jordan Sarrou (BH-Sr Suntour-KMC). Behind them, Bartlomej Wawak starts the trail, but he can't follow the world-class duo and they open up a decisive gap, while his teammate Fabian Giger loses all chances due to a puncture. Kulhavy and Sarrou ride together until the last, short but steep climb. Then the Czech attacks.

Kulhavy show on the last six kilometers

"I noticed that Jordan kept losing a few seconds on the short climbs. That's why I attacked hard in the last one and tore the gap," Kulhavy explained how he brought about the decision in the battle for the stage win.

The last six kilometers are a real Kulhavy show. He rides like a locomotive, taking 1:01 minutes off Sarrou and reclaiming the yellow jersey.

1:21 minutes later, a group of four is fighting for third place on the podium. It was Bartlomej Wawak who had the most reserves left among "all the dead men" (Becking). He wins the sprint ahead of Dutchman Hans Becking (CST Sandd American Eagle) and Austrian Karl Markt (Möbel Märki), who puts in another strong performance.

Kulhavy goes into the last of four stages with a lead of 50 seconds. In third position is Jan Skarnitzl (Cze, Sram Mitas Trek), who is 1:47 minutes behind. Skarnitzl finished sixth in Lythrodontas.

Jaroslav Kulhavy: "Flat sections are my great strength and I knew that. I'm very happy about my performance, that's pretty good ahead of the Cape Epic."

Jordan Sarrou: "Jaro is very strong on the flat. I had to stay on his rear wheel, but when I lost it, I had no chance. He was too strong. Nevertheless, I'm very happy with my performance. Tomorrow's stage will be decisive."

Bartlomej Wawak: "I'm actually quite satisfied. I felt good and tried to fight for the podium again. I'm quite confident ahead of the final stage, which will be another challenge."

Michiels makes a mistake, Benko benefits

Four women fighting for the stage win in a sprint, something never seen before at the Afxentia. But the whole story sounds much more varied than this arrival shows. First of all, the Swede Alexandra Engen (Ghost Factory Racing) pulls away a little because she is the fastest in a technical passage. Then Barbara Benko (Focus XC) attacks behind her and Githa Michiels (Versluys) goes with her.

The duo pass Alexandra Engen on the climb to the highest point, while behind them Sabine Spitz (WIAWIS), Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesjaa (Merida Gunn-Rita) and the young Czech Jana Czeczinkarova (Sram Mitas Trek) form the chasing group and can also pass Engen. goes. But Benko is able to close the gap again on the trail. However, she is unable to pass the Belgian. As a result, Sabine Spitz and Gunn-Rita Dahle also manage to close the gap. This completes the quartet that will ultimately sprint for victory.

150 meters before the finish, Michiels makes a mistake while in the lead and almost brings Dahle-Flesjaa down, allowing Barbara Benko to open up a gap of a few meters.

The Hungarian rider celebrates her first victory in the Cyprus Sunshine Cup, just one second ahead of Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesjaa and 1.2 seconds ahead of Sabine Spitz. Githa Michiels loses three seconds, but maintains a lead of 20 seconds over Benko in the overall classification. In third place, Sabine Spitz is also still in the running for victory with a difference of 25 seconds.

Barbara Benko: "A win at last, I'm delighted. It's great after yesterday's crash, when I broke my little finger. It hurts a bit, but it's not really a handicap. I wasn't able to overtake Githa on the long singletrail, so the others got close again. But I made it in the end."

Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesjaa: "I can't believe I made it to second place today. It's a miracle, I must have been left behind 15 times and came back every time. The downhill was fun as always, but I was glad that Sabine rode ahead of me on her fully. Unfortunately, Githa rode into my line in the finish, so Barbara was able to ride past."

Sabine Spitz: "Today I was constantly rotating my gears. After twelve years of Sram, I switched to Shimano and it's arranged differently. I really need to work on that. That's why I found it a bit difficult today. I lost a lot of energy due to the wrong gears. Nevertheless, I am satisfied with my performance."

Githa Michiels: "The last part of the stage is very fast, so I preferred to wait for the others. I knew they wanted me to take the lead. Unfortunately, I'm not so good at tactical things and took the bend badly. In the end, I was glad that I didn't crash and was able to keep the gap within limits. There's still one day left, I'll do my best tomorrow and hope it's enough to defend the yellow jersey."

www.cyclingcy.com