One day after compatriot Dion Smith made New Zealand cycling history, Kiwi Paddy Bevin had his moment in the sun, standing on the Tour de France podium as a stage winner with his BMC Racing team.
On Stage Two of the Tour, Smith became the first Kiwi ever to wear a leader's jersey, taking a sprint to win the day's only hill climb and seize the polka-dot shirt for that classification.
On Stage Three - the team time trial around Cholet - Bevin was part of a BMC outfit that covered the 35.5km journey four seconds faster than closest rivals Team Sky.
- Kiwi Dion Smith makes NZ cycling history
- The Kiwis carrying the flag at Tour de France
- Kiwi George Bennett sitting out French classic
The result propels BMC racers Greg Van Avermaet and Tejay Van Garderen into a share of the overall lead, with team leader Richie Porte - who crashed on the opening stage - lurking in 14th, still 51 seconds adrift.
"We have strong riders," said Porte afterwards. "They took care of me, so it was not so hard for me.
"It's a good result, but it's far from over. You saw what happened in Stage One with my crash.
"There is more time to take back of the other contenders."
Bevin, whose main duty is to look after Porte in the peleton, rises to 121st spot, the lowest ranked of the four Kiwis among the 174 riders that remain on the road.
With no climbing points on offer, Smith retains his polka-dot jersey and is the leading Kiwi in 65th, 2m 24s behind his teammates.
More to come
