Stage 3

183 km, D+ 3200 m

This stage and its almost-on-top-finish will very likely start sorting GC favourites. They won’t be able to hide on this difficult Puerto del Escudo

Sivakov (🇷🇺🇫🇷 UAE) and Tronchon (🇫🇷 Decathlon) were among the breakaway today (well, the Franco-Russian had jumped from the peloton later than the others, if I understood right). The Decathlon rider was dropped early, in the Estacas de Trueba, which marked the passage into Cantabria. As well as the fog. 🌫

The breakaway survivors were killed by the transition and its false flats.

In the almost-final climb, J. Vine (🇦🇺 UAE) lost control of his bike after touching / being touched by another rider. He didn't actually crash on the ground, but still 'collapsed' on his bike and feet, and stopped. He couldn't put his chain back in place, perhaps the derailleur was broken, and it took ages before he could change bike... with Sivakov who had been dropped by the peloton.

Meanwhile, at the front, things were getting faster, and their teammate Torres🇪🇸 attacked. The best ones chased. Onley (🇬🇧 Ineos) made another significant attack. Who was catching whom changed several times until the summit, it was interesting 👍 . I think (I ain't sure) it was after Onley🇬🇧's (second?) attack that Ciccone (🇮🇹 Lidl-Trek) told Gall🇦🇹 he couldn't follow any more; he wasn't lying. The decisive attack was F. Gall (🇦🇹 Decathlon) dropping a cooked Onley🇬🇧. The Austrian maintained a small advantage in the 3 km after the summit over the chaser who had a little bit regrouped with a new configuration again.

The strong men today were, on top of the already quoted Gall🇦🇹, Cicconee🇮🇹 and Onley🇬🇧:

• Pellizari (🇮🇹 Bora) who was dropped midway but finished really well. Perhaps his troubles in the beginning of the Tour of Burgos were because it was really too punchy for him and he like better longer efforts.
• E. Mas (🇪🇸 Movistar) again.
• M. Rondel (🇫🇷 Tudor) came back once or twice but was more in trouble in the end. Opposite curve compared to Pellizzari🇮🇹, if you will.
  Gaps between those guys weren't big in the end.

One may add J. Widar (🇧🇪 Lotto), even though he finished with the group behind.

J. Vine🇦🇺 was probably strong too: he finishes barely over 1 minute behind, after standing on the roadside a hell of a long time. Well, actually, he was standing on the middle of the road...

The race is still very open. Today's gaps weren't as big as I had perhaps expected it, and they counter-balanced the existing gaps created on the short and long punchy finished of the first 2 stages.

11 riders in 1 minute. Before and after, gaps are rather evenly spread. The current GC podium have the larger margin over their followers, and that's only 20 seconds!

Tomorrow may turn to be a day off for GC leaders, whose fate will be decided on the traditional last stage.