Mark Stewart has given the Team Solution Tech - Vini Fantini their tenth seasonal victory by winning the third stage of the Tour de Kumano. At the end of the 107 kilometers scheduled, the 29-year-old British rider beat his Danish counterpart Mathias Bregnhøj, registered with the Malaysian Continental team Terengganu Cycling, while Nicolò Garibbo, a Ligurian born in '99 with JCL Ukyo, finished third, 45" behind. Davide Baldaccini, the winner's teammate, also made the top 10, finishing sixth.

The victory allows Mark Stewart to leap thirty positions and take the lead in the general classification with 4" advantage over Bregnhøj and 47" over Atsushi Oka, the Japanese rider who won the Tour de Kumano in 2023 and 2024. The competition will conclude tomorrow with a 104-kilometer stage starting and ending in Taiji.

THE RACE. The stage, starting and ending in Kumano, was marked by continuous pace changes and variable weather conditions. Stewart expertly read the decisive phases of the race, launching an attack 18 km from the finish together with Bregnhøj. With great clarity and energy management, he led the action to the finish line, supported by his team's valuable work in controlling the peloton behind.

In the two-rider sprint, the Scottish rider imposed his speed and determination, signing a prestigious victory that allows him to take the lead in the general classification on the eve of the final stage.

Tomorrow, the Tour de Kumano will conclude with the fourth and final stage from Taiji to Taiji, where Team Solution Tech–Vini Fantini will give their all to defend the leader's jersey and win the overall victory.

"Today, on paper, was the toughest stage and it certainly lived up to expectations," Mark Stewart declared. "From the start, it was a full-on race. In the final kilometers, I perceived that the reduced group of about twenty riders was starting to lose brilliance, so I waited for the right moment to attack. Another rider managed to follow me, and together we created a good margin, sufficient to contest the victory. I'm really happy to have been able to deliver and wear the leader's jersey. It means a lot to me."

Photos from the race's social media