The Vuelta a España ramps up its difficulty on Tuesday with a demanding cross-border stage from Italy into France. Riders face climbing almost immediately after the start.
The Puerto del Exilles (5.6 km at 5.6 per cent) is the first climb of the day. The road dips only briefly before rising again toward the Col de Montgenèvre (8.3 km at 6.1 per cent). Then, the peloton crests the border into France.
From there, the long haul begins. A sweeping descent leads into Briançon. That is followed by the Col du Lautaret. It is a steady 13.8-km ascent averaging 4.3 per cent. More than 130 km remain at the summit, most of it downhill through the Isère valley.
The route levels on a plateau before a gradual run toward Grenoble and Noyarey, where the day’s intermediate sprint awaits. The finale in Voiron is technical, with several turns before a final 400-m rise at four per cent.
Jonas Vingegaard stamped his authority early in this Vuelta–but does he want to hold onto the jersey for the rest of the race? Visma – Lease a Bike may want to let a breakaway up the road. But teams like Lidl – Trek–eager for Mads Pedersen to take a win on a finale that suits him, may not.
Stage 3 saw David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) take a brilliant win in a punchy finish. Pedersen was second, and Vingegaard also went for it, finishing third.
If you want to tune into Stage 4, head on over to Flobikes.com. And as always, Canadian Cycling Magazine will have a full report with photos after.
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