Before the race, it wasn’t entirely clear whether the hills in the final third of the stage between Jingxi and Bama might rule out a bunch sprint. However, things remained calm in that section, so a sprint finish was possible after all. Nevertheless, the result was not necessarily what one might have expected. Fretin, the winner, was yet another rider who, amidst a strong line-up of sprinters including Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM), had not been at the very top of the list of favourites.

And the Belgian needed a bit of luck too to be able to celebrate in the end. Whilst Kooij was nowhere to be seen in the final, Magnier had just set about overtaking the 25-year-old when he slipped off the pedals and was thus beaten. Fretin was then able to defend his lead confidently against Biesterbos and Meeus.

Fabio Jakobsen also showed signs of life. The former top sprinter had moved from Picnic to Visma | Lease a Bike in the summer. At the Sparkassen Münsterland Giro, he made a rather unremarkable international debut for his new team, just as he had on the first two stages in China. Now, however, he has once again caught the eye by finishing fourth.

Fretin and those odd, wide streets

For Fretin, meanwhile, this is his ninth victory as a professional, and his first on the WorldTour. The man from Genk has also been among the front-runners in major races on several occasions. In the summer, he finished fourth and fifth in Tour de France stages, and came sixth in the ADAC Cyclassics. However, he had not yet managed to secure a victory against the very biggest names in the sprinting world.

“It’s a special victory for me because I’ve been striving for it for a very long time,” said Fretin in an interview. “On Stage 2, I lost my key man, Piet Allegaert. But the rest of the team still worked for me here. You’ve always got to believe in it; then anything can happen. Especially on these wide roads. It’s a very strange feeling; we’re not used to this sort of thing.”

Meanwhile, Biesterbos also managed to secure another top result. Thanks to his second place and Magnier’s misfortune, he has even taken the lead in the overall standings, which he now shares with the Frenchman. The situation is exactly the same in the points standings. In both categories, Max Kanter (XDS Astana Team) is third.

Meanwhile, China’s Ruidong Wang (national team) has taken the lead in the mountains classification. As part of the breakaway, he secured the most mountain points along the route.

Tour of Guangxi 2026 – Stage 3 results

Here’s how the third stage of the 2026 Tour of Guangxi unfolded

The most active rider in the early stages was Jasha Sütterlin (Team Jayco AlUla). After several attacks at the start, the rider from Fribourg had managed to break away with Julius Johansen (UAE Team Emirates – XRG), but after around 30 kilometres, the Dane pulled out because the group was too small for the long ride, following Louis Barré’s (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) failed attempt to break away to the front.

After 38 kilometres, Sütterlin won the first intermediate sprint and had already resigned himself to fading back into the peloton when Tobias Bayer (Alpecin – Premier Tech) went on the attack alongside Ruidong Wang. Sütterlin picked up speed once more and, together with the Austrian and the former national champion, formed a trio that held on until the hilly section of the stage.

With 46 kilometres to go, the Chinese rider won the day’s first mountain classification, after Bayer had earlier secured second place in the sprint. On the second climb, with 30 kilometres still to go, Sütterlin was then forced to drop back. Ruidong also struggled to keep up with Bayer, but fought his way back up to him on the descent. However, the peloton was now only 30 seconds behind.

On the way to the third climb, the Chinese rider was the only one left at the front after Bayer had also abandoned his breakaway attempt; however, he too was caught 19 kilometres from the finish. There were no further attempts to prevent a bunch sprint. It was then Fretin who provided the next surprise in the sprint.