Greg Henderson wins Stage 3 of Tour of California

Tuesday’s stage: A flat trip of 121.9 miles from Auburn to Modesto that was marked by early rain.

Winner: Greg Henderson of New Zealand gave the Sky ProCycling team its second win in two days. Henderson took the unorganized sprint finish, just beating out Juan Jose Haedo of Saxobank Sungard and world champion Thor Hushovd of Garmin-Cervelo in the sprint finish.

Leader’s jersey: Henderson also took the overall lead from teammate Ben Swift, who is now second.

Quote of the day: “[Wednesday] is a difficult day and I have no illusions of defending the lead. There is no way I can climb with the likes of Levi Leipheimer and Dave Zabriskie,” Henderson said.

STAGE 3 RESULTS

1. Greg Henderson, New Zealand, 5:14.29

2. Juan Jose Haedo, Argentina; same time

3. Thor Hushovd, Norway, same time

4. Peter Sagan, Slovakia; same time

5. Leigh Howard, Australia; same time

OVERALL STANDINGS (including time bonuses)

1. Greg Henderson, New Zealand; 8:01.31

2. Ben Swift, Britain, same time

3. Peter Sagan, Slovakia, four seconds behind

4. Juan Jose Haedo, Argentina, four seconds behind

5. Thor Hushovd, Norway; six seconds behind

Wednesday’s stage: This 81.8-mile route goes from Livermore to San Jose and includes a finishing climb to Sierra Road. This will be the first stage that will give a hint of who will be the ultimate overall winner. Overall, there are five rated climbs in this hilly stage. With the race bypassing his hometown of Santa Rosa this year, it will be no surprise to see three-time champion Leipheimer of RadioShack go for the win.

—Diane Pucin