Kottula takes third leg of rainy Tour of Taiwan

Germany's Juergen Kottula won a rainy third leg of the Tour of Taiwan yesterday, while Japan's Kazyuki Manabe held on to the overall lead in the eight-stage race.

Racing for Merida Germany, Kottula edged defending champion Wong Kam Po of the Hong Kong, China, Team in a photo finish on the 169km course along the eastern coast.

Both covered the stage in 4 hours, 57 minutes and 27 seconds.

Finishing six seconds behind was Iran's Ghader Mizbani Iranagh of Giant Asia Racing.

Manabe of Japan's national team took control of the tour early, winning the first stage. His overall time of 12:07.00 gives him a four-second lead over Iran's Ahad Kazemi Sarai of Giant Asia Racing. Kottula, who placed third in the first stage, was third in the general classification with 12:07.13.

Taiwan's Lee Hsu-fan held the King of the Mountain honors given to the tour's best climber.

A heavy rain that began halfway through the race slowed down the racers on the rolling course, which has a 200m climb near the end.

Kottula said that he, Wong and Mizbani Iranagh broke away at the 70km mark and the chasing pack never caught them.

In the final 300m, Wong began sprinting, Kottula said.

"I was quick off his back wheel and I passed him at 150m," he said.

The race continues today with a 162km stage that follows the east coast from the city of Hualien to the Fu Long beach resort on the northeast cape.

The tour finishes Nov. 26 in the southern port of Kaohsiung, the island's second-largest city.

Kottula expected tough racing in the next two days.

"It's a long tour and the next two stages have a lot of mountains," he said. "The weather is also supposed to be windy and rainy."