Gaudu won the third stage and Vingegaard is still leading in Spain
By surprise and with a cunning blow in the last meters, the French David Gaudu (Groupama FDJ) broke the prognosis to award the third stage of the Tour of Spaindisputed between San Maurizio Canavese and Ceres, 134.6 km, in which The Danish Jonas Vingegaard held the leadership.
It was not in the pools for the triumph in Ceres, the bet was Pedersen or Ciccone, but Gaudu (Landivisiau, 28 years old) was smarter than anyone in the last meters and won the game by speed to the Danish and the red jersey himself, Jonas Vingegaard, who retained the leadership with the same time as the Frenchman.
Gaudu, a double stage winner in the 2020 Tour (Farrapona and Covatilla), raised his arms after making an “interior” in the last curve that placed his professional victory number 12 on a tray. It marked a goal of 2h.59.24 at an average of 43.7 km/h. He was not the favorite, but he laughed the last and better.
Vingegaard got into the “ointment” and played the victory. That goal was escaped, but maintained the red one, partly an honor and partly a commitment that takes time in the posetapa protocols. It is followed by Gaudu, Ciccone 8 seconds, 14 Bernal, 16 Pidcock and a group with Hindley, Buitrago, Jorgenson, Ayuso and Almeida.
The last stage for Italian soil offered half a mountain and an interesting interesting end. The exit was peculiar, literally to the sprint. As soon as the director’s flag went down, a group left the stampede of the small town of San Maurizio Canavese. Four were in front, Quinn, Verre, Van Boven and Gamper, but controlled by the Lidl of the favorite of the day, the Danish Pedersen.
The main interest was in the ascent to Issiglio (2nd, 5.5 km at 6.5), before the Ecuador of the stage. Another incentive was to achieve the red jersey, on the offer by Vingegaard, because neither the Danish nor their team are interested in assuming the stress that the leadership means. The burning garment on the back of the Nordic cyclist at this point in the return.
The Lidl brought the weight on the climb to Issiglio to try to eliminate Philipsen, green jersey and rival of Pedersen, but the rhythm was not enough to bend to the Belgian, who after spending certain trouble raising linked to the group in the descent. The escape, with the mountain leader, Alessandro Verre, and are quinn in front, reinforced the advantage in the high to 2.21 minutes.
The incessant work of the Lidl pulling the platoon put a 2 second bonus for Pedersen in the intermediate sprint of Courgné, a Piedmonta town where the Colombian Egan Bernal resided in his formation period, while punishing Philipsen forces in the promotions.
With Carlos Verona de Locomotora, the squad ended up catching the former American champion en Route Sean Quinn, the last survivor of the adventure of the day, 19 km from the small town of Ceres, of just 1,000 inhabitants, located in the Lanzio Valley, surrounded by the beauty of the Alps Graians.
The stage entered the hot zone in permanent rise to the last line in Ceres (4th, 2.6 km at 3.6). Upstiness in a platoon without control, numerous, with many candidates to win the stage and dress the red. The Lidl no longer dominated with a majority, and both the Bora and the Ayuso UAE and the Vingegaard visma moved their pawns at the climb along the narrow roads of the Valley.
About to face the real climb, the Movistar pointed to the roulette of fortune in search of the success of the Venezuelan Aular. Control, marking, looks, accelerons and knives between the teeth in the breast. Championaerts (visma) tense rhythm, but Ciccone responded by putting himself in the bow of the group.
All prepared to specify the work of the whole day of Lidl Trek. Ciccone threw Pedersen, the Danish took the lead, already saw the finish line, but in the last and decisive previous curve Gaudu emulated the motorcycle of Moto GP to make an interior of category, enough to ride his third stage in the return.
“I thought in the morning that I could also win this stage, although the favorite was Pedersen. He anticipated, but I gave everything and I was right. I am very happy, another success in the return,” Gaudu said. And he was right. Why not?.
This Tuesday the fourth stage of the Vuelta is played between Susa (Italy) and Vairon (France), with a route of 206.7 km. Day that begins in Italy and ends in France, and then fly to Figueres (Spain) for the chrono per team on Wednesday.
Medium mountain stage with 3 ports concentrated in the first 76 km, all second. To start exiles (5.6 km to 5.6), to continue with the Col de Montgénevre (8.3 km at 6.1) and finish with the Col de Lautaret, port “Tour” from 13.8 km to 4.3. The end in light ascent will be another rise.
