Favorites stage 3 Tour de France 2024

Just one day left before the Tour de France really becomes the Tour de France, but not before we tackle the third full stage in Italy on Monday. IDLProCycling.com looks ahead to what promises to be another long day in the saddle for seasoned travelers.

Route stage 3 Tour de France 2024

Favorites stage 3 Tour de France 2024 | Are the tail riders in the lead?

There was a time when Tour organizers increasingly seemed to favor shorter stages, but the Tour de France’s three-day stint in Italy is going in a different direction. with three stages of more than 200 kilometers each. The third stage, from Piacenza to Turin, is the longest of the three and covers almost 231 kilometers.

Unlike the previous two days, this stage has less elevation gain, setting the stage for a classic Tour de France scenario: little to no enthusiasm for the breakaway, sprint teams taking control early on and a sprint finish near the Olympic Stadium in Turin.

What’s on the menu for day three, you ask? A passage through Tortona, where Fausto Coppi died, an intermediate sprint in Alessandria and three fourth category climbs that are unlikely to have a significant impact on the race outcome of this third stage.

The final in Turin will be much more critical, so let’s take a closer look. About eight kilometres from the finish, the peloton will take on a long, straight stretch of seven kilometres. This is where the sprint trains – and those of the general classification riders – will form, hoping that the predicted potential rain will not materialise.

This looks like a simple finish, but it isn’t: the final kilometre includes two bends: one at 900 metres from the finish, another at 700 metres. Positioning will be crucial here, because if you fall behind and the leaders accelerate, you’re out of luck.

To climb
70.8 km: Tortone (1.1 km at 6.3%)
156.1 km: Barbaresco (1.5 km at 6.5%)
181.4 km: Sommariva Perno (3.1 km at 4.6%)

Time
Start: 11:35 am
End: around 5:12 PM

Stage 3 Tour de France 2024 again

Riders may experience rain on Monday, as showers are possible in the finish city of Turin in the afternoon. The wind will mainly be a tailwind in the final, with temperatures around 28 degrees Celsius.

Typically, this third stage is one for the sprinters, isn’t it? Which brings us to last year’s green jersey winner, Jasper PhilipsenThe Belgian from Alpecin-Deceuninck wants to make an impression at the first opportunity and is one of the few fast men with a full lead-out train, for which he can even count on superstar Mathieu van der Poel.

Philipsen’s biggest competitor could well come from the Netherlands, true Dylan Groenewegen is one of the top sprint candidates in this Tour de France. Groenewegen claims to be in excellent shape and will want to respond quickly. He is assisted by Luka Mezgec, Elmar Reinders, Michael Matthews and Luke Durbridge.

For Lidl-Trek, Mads Pedersen is the man to keep an eye on, although he usually prefers slightly tougher conditions. With a lead-out with Ryan Gibbons and Jasper Stuyven he could go far here, as he did in the Critérium du Dauphiné, where he Sam Bennett from Decathlon AG2R, who is also participating in this Tour.

What do you think of the newly crowned Belgian champion? Arnaud De Liewho recently beat Philipsen at that championship? Or Wout van Aert from Visma | Lease a Bike, if he decides to sprint in this stage? And then there is Gerben Thijssenwho sprints with Biniam Girmay for Intermarché-Wanty.

Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan team) and Fabio Jakobsen (dsm-firmenich PostNL) had a tough opening weekend, but wants to score as soon as possible in this Tour de France. And there are more, such as Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X), Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) and Arnaud Démare (Arkéa – B&B Hotels), who should also do well. Kristoff has Soren Waerenskjold at his side, while the struggling Démare will rely on Luca Mozzato and Amaury Capiot.

German Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain victorious) and Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech) could have a shot at a good performance Bryan Coquard van Cofidis always strives to leave a mark in the Tour. In addition, Marijn van den Berg (EF) and Sandy Dujardin (TotalEnergies) could also aim for a strong placement.