Cavendish beaten by unfancied American in stage three

Posted: Friday 13th March 2009 | 17:12

AMERICAN rider Tyler Farrar powered past Great Britain's Mark Cavendish in a sprint finish to claim a shock victory in the third stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico road race.

The 24-year-old Farrar followed Cavendish for the last 300 metres then dug deep to outsprint the Brit - who won four stages in last year's Tour de France, in the closing 20 metres.

"He's the best sprinter in the world. Everyone wants to beat Cavendish," Farrar said. "This is the first big victory for me."

Farrar, who rides with the Garmin team, clocked 3:53.48 hours in the 166-kilometre stage from Fucecchio to Santa Croce in what has become known as the Race of the Two Seas.

In the overall standings, opening-stage winner Julien El Fares of France held onto a 15-second lead over Alessandro Petacchi.

In the stage, Italy's Enrico Rossi came home third, while Robbie McEwan was fourth and Tom Boonen was fifth.