Tyler Farrar beats world's best sprinters at Italian bike race

Tyler Farrar, Garmin-Slipstream's star sprinter from Wenatchee, Washington, won Stage 3 of Italy's Tirreno-Adriatico bike race on Friday.

Listen to the Italian announcers call the finish on this video from www.wielerflits.nl. You'll hear the names of Thor Hushovd, Robbie McEwen, Mark Cavendish, Alessandro Petacchi, and Tom Boonen.

Not until after the finish do you hear the announcer shout: “Tyler Ferrrrrara!”

Interviewed afterwards, Farrar told Cyclingnews:

“Cavendish is the best sprinter in the world; everyone wants to beat him. My condition is good and I have a very strong team here. Dean and the others did a huge amount of work for me. … It's my most important win to date.”

Julien El Fares of Team Cofidis is leading the Tirreno-Adriatico overall. The highest ranked American in the week-long stage is George Hincapie of Columbia-High Road, placed in 9th.

The Farrar win comes the same week that Garmin teammate Christian Vande Velde won a stage in the ongoing Paris-Nice race in France.

Farrar's dad is Ed Farrar, the respected orthopaedic surgeon from Wenatchee who is recovering from a bicycle crash with a motorist who drifted across the centerline last year..