Walsh wins chaotic bunch sprint at Tour de Gyeongnam

Liam Walsh (CCACHE x BODYWRAP) timed his surge to perfection to win a chaotic bunch sprint on Thursday's stage 3 of the Tour de Gyeongnam 2026. The Australian rider powered through a hectic final 200 metres to finish ahead of Andrea D'Amato (Team UKYO) and Tom Sexton (St George Continental Cycling Team).

As expected, the flat stage came down to a mass finish. The day's early breakaway was brought back in the final kilometres to set up the sprinters' showdown.

The third stage, run under bright sunshine through the rolling Gyeongnam countryside, was always destined for a bunch sprint. An early breakaway formed soon after the start, with Jongwon Lim and Seunghwa Jeong (LX Cycling Team) joining a rider from KINAN Racing Team.

The escapees worked well together, building a solid advantage over a peloton happy to let them hang out front while Lim swept up the intermediate sprint points uncontested. Their advantage was highlighted as they crossed the spectacular, red-decked Sacheon Bridge with the main bunch still some distance behind.

The sprinters' teams never let the gap become insurmountable, however, and marshalled the chase to bring everything back together for the finale. With no single team able to establish a dominant lead-out, the final kilometre was a disordered affair, and in the messy drag race to the line, Walsh found the clearest path to victory.

• CCACHE x BODYWRAP navigated the chaotic finale perfectly. Without a dominant lead-out, Walsh showed excellent race craft to find a path through the disorganised sprint and time his effort for the win.
• LX Cycling Team's early aggression ultimately yielded little. Placing two riders in the day's main breakaway gave them a tactical advantage, but they couldn't convert it into a result, with their best finisher, Kim Euro, in 18th place.
• The absence of organised lead-out trains created an unpredictable finish. This pattern of open, messy sprints could favour riders who excel at positioning over those reliant on a structured team effort in future stages.
• The stage had no impact on the general classification, as all the main contenders finished safely in the bunch, conserving energy for the challenges to come.