Tirreno-Adriatico stage 3 – Live coverage
Van Aert and van der Poel expected to shine on rising finish 𒁏in Gualdo Tadino
Buongiorno and welcome to the Cyclingnews live coverage of stage 3 of Tir🎶reno-Adriatico.
As the Cy💯clingnews blimp takes height, the riders𝕴 are signing on and lining up for the roll out in the stunning village of Monticiano.
The 219km stage cuts across central Italy fro♑m southern Tuღscany near Siena to Gualdo Tadino in Umbria.
The stage includes a t𒁏otal of 3000m of climbing and so won't be an easy dayღ for the sprinters. The finish also rises for the final 2.5km.
There ꦫare six climbs in the first half of the stage, offering excellent terrain for ♐a break to go clear.
It wi✱ll be interesting to see if Wout Van Aert's Jumbo-Visam team ride all da🃏y to protect the race lead or play poker with their rival sprint teams.
The stage is underway!
🇮🇹 #TirrenoAdriatico off to stage 3 🤞 pic.twitter.com/loU8Ug6e8W
The stage soon🦄 hits a climb and so we can expect attacks.
🍷175 riders started the stag🌊e. We already have a first attack!
Four riders have attacked but the speed ♏is ♑high.
Mark Padun ༺of Bahrain started the attack but is now struggling to stay with the others.
They are 💝Davide Bais (Eolo Kometa), Tobias Ludvigsson (Groupama 🍃FDJ), Boivin (Israel Start Up Nation) and Niki Terpstra (Total Direct Energie).
They are on the first climb of the day.
The cli🎃mb is up to Chiusdino where stage 2 finished.
The peloton has let themn go and the gap is up🃏 to 3:30.&🍎nbsp;
Padun🉐 has made it back to the break, which now includes 5 r🌃iders.
After 11km the break of five have a lead of 5:50.
As we suggested earlier, it will be fascinating to see who leads the chase.꧅
The riders inꦓ the break are Mark Padun (Bahrain Victorious), Davide Bais (Eolo Kometa), Tobias Ludvigsson (Groupama FDJ), Boivin (Israel Start Up Nation) and Niki Terpstrꦛa (Total Direct Energie).
Their le෴ad is up to 6:30. If it goes up further, they could have a real chance of fighting for the stage victory.
Here is the break of the day.
🔱 Tirreno Adriatico @eolo_it 2021📅 Stage 3📌 Pian di Feccia - km 25🚴♂️@PadunMark, @davide_bais, @tludvigsson, @Guillaumeboivin, @NikiTerpstra ⏱️ 6'40" > Gruppo📊 Live: //t.co/eYwKKmpcsy🏁 194 km#TirrenoAdriatico pic.twitter.com/Jgjrsw4wEi
It's another day of racing, with another WorldTour peloton also racing P🔯aris-Nice🔯.
Click below to follow our full liver coverage of sꦏtage 6.
Paris-Nice stage 6 - live coverage
The break is carefully pacing their effo♏rt to get over the early cli🌜mbs.
We just visited our @Guillaumeboivin in the breakaway in #Ti🎃rrenoAdriatico. He has four partners, and they got almost a 7 min gap. The road ahead is extra-long: 175 km to go. pic.twitter.com/1x1arU6rcO
We will also be covering the 💖women's Healthy Ageing Tour.
Ellen van🎶 Dijk wins time trꦇial yesterday and the riders face a hard rolling stage today.
Healthy Ageing Tour: Ellen van Dijk wins time trial
After a fast 50km and another climb south if Siena, the break have extended their lead to 7:2🔯0.
Paul Martens and Edoardo Affini are riding tempo for Jumbo-Visma but it will be interesting to see who and if other te𓆉ams help with the chase.
Today's stage will soon pass through Monteroni d'Arbia, close to the best dirt roads covered in Strade Bianche. Sadly the race will not hit꧃ the dirt today but the riders will get a chance to enjoy the stunning Crete Senesi hills.
145km to go
The work🌳 of the peloton has pegged the break's lead to around 7:30. ✤;
#TirrenoAdriatico 🇮🇹The 5 leaders have stretched their advantage out to 8'30"⏱Still a long way to go with 140km remaining. pic.twitter.com/euwhrGc8Cx
On a gradual climb the break has managed to carve out two morꦐe minutes, extending their lead to 8:5ღ0.
125km to go
The break has reached the top of the gradual𒊎 12km climb in the heart of the rolling Tuscan hills.
The five riders still lead by 8:50.
Mark Padun (Bahrain - Victoriousꦕ) Davide Bais (Eolo Kometa), Tobias Ludvigsson (Groupama FDJ), Guillaume Boivin (Israel Start Up Nation) and Niki Terpstra (Total Direct Energie) jumped away at t🌌he start of the stage and have worked well together to extend their lead to 9:00.
Behind Jumbo-Visma have one rider leading the chase and we can see a rider fr🐷om Cofidis, Movistar and Alpecin also helping some what.
After 100km in the hills, the avꦏerage speed has been close to ꧅40km/h. To be precise it was 39.900 km/h.
Mark Padun (Bahrain - Victorious) and Tobias Ludvigsson (Groupama FDJ) are gthe best placed𝐆 ridℱers in the break. They are 9:22 down on Van Aert and so will soon become virtual race leader's if they can push out their 9:00 lead a little further.
The pace has risen in the peloton. There could be s💫ome concern about cross꧙ winds on the more exposed roads.
Several teams are fꩵeeding on the rise to a village of Bettolle and that could be a r🍰eason why some teams were moving up to the front.
Here we 🐼go! The roads are exposed &♓nbsp;in the fields.
Riders and teams are concerned that the wind from their right cou🌱ld blow u🔜p the race.
🌜The roads is turning left and right, changing the direc🍎t of the wind.
The pace is hurting sཧome, incl♍uding Caleb Ewan, who is swinging off the back of the peloton.
Here w🍎e go! Mathieu van der Poel is on the front giving it big watts!&🌳nbsp;
He can sense the crosswinds and𓃲 the chance to sཧplit the peloton.
Other teams are mixing with Alpecin at 💮speed as Ewan slips back through the team cars.
Ewan took a Coke from the Lotto car bu꧂t th⭕ey have driven on and left him.
Now Julian Alaphilippe takes a turn on the front aꦍs Deceunink also ♌join the attacks in the crosswinds.
Caleb Ewan has climbed off and abandoned Tirreno-Adriatico.&🌳nb✅sp;
The Australಞia sprinter props his bike against a wall and climbs into the Lotto S𝓡oudal team car.
Up front there are 100 riders in a front group. They are on the exposed flat roads above Lake Trasimeno trying🍬 to catch a cross wind.
The terrain will soon change ab💎ruptly when they climb Poggio della Croce.&n🐠bsp;
🇮🇹 #TirrenoAdriaticoSo @mathieuvdpoel decided to shake things up in the bunch. We also saw @MerlierTim and @RickaertJonas pulling. 💪93 km to go and the gap with the race leaders has gone down to 5'40". pic.twitter.com/4KcdnSUxAM
The race is now passing below the stunning village of Cortona. Some o🐻f you may remember it is the village where the famous Tuscan lifestyle book Undꦿer the Tuscan Sun was based.
90km to go
Due to the attacks and speed in the peloton, the ♌break has lost some time.
Mark Padun (Bahrain - Victorious) Davide Bais (Eolo Kometa), Tobias Ludvi𝄹gsson (Groupama FDJ), Guillaume Boivin (Israel Start Up Nation) and Niki Terpstra (Total Direct Energie) lead by 5:25 now.
There are several chasers behind the peloton, i෴ncluding Thibaut Pinot.
This is the five-rider break of the stage, with Niki Terpstra (Total 🐽Direct Energie) on the front.
Mark Padun (Bahrain - Victorious) Davide Bais (Eolo Kometa), Tobias Ludvigsson (Groupama FDJ) and Guillaume Boivin (Israel Start Up Nation)🐽 are also there.
85km to go
The Poggio della Croce⛦ climb starts very soon.
Th💦is was the 🔥view of the peloton and the Tuscan countryside earlier.
Pet𒅌er Sagan is tucked carefully on the wheels as he tries to find some for🍰m.
The Poggio della Croce is slowing the break and hurting their legs. They have been out front for 100km alreaꦡdy 🌟today.
The climb is also hurting the peloton. They are lined out with one Alpecin rider and Jumbo-Visma now in charge of the chase. Jumbo have three riders ahead of Van Aert and anothe𒊎r on his wheel.
80km to go
The break is ♛losing time as the peloton climbs significantly faster.
The gap is down to 4:00 near the summit.
The peloton sprints to the summit and for good ✃position on the twisting descent.
The break leads by just 3:10 now.
The race follows the Tuscan/Umbria border towards Umbertide. The♚n jumps over the hills again towards Gubbi🅺o.
From they turn south a♐long the valley to Gualdoꦉ Tadino.
It is sta👍rting to rain, with low clouds hanging over the hills.
Forecasts expect it to rain all the way to the fini🐽sh.
70km to go
The peloton has easedꦑ with Van Aert also raising a white flag by taking a quick natural break.
B⛦ehind Peter Sagan gets back on afterও being dropped on the climb.
The riders have🐼 a cross 🅠tail wind at the moment but it will be a cross head wind after they turn down the valley at Gubbio.
It is expected to 𝕴blow at 25𒅌km/h, perhaps not enough to split the race.
🃏Kaꦫsper Asgreen had edged off the front of the peloton but has sat up and dropped back onto the wheels.
With 65km to g༒o, riders ar༒e eating and drinking. They face a long 219km in the saddle.
The roads are exཧposed now but the nearby hills are protecting the rider😼s.
With the rain clouds🃏 gathering, riders are pulling on gillet and extra layers. Julian Alaphilippe is at the back pulling in his unique rainbow-stripped gillet.
The drop in pace in the peloton has helped the break push back up their lead. they are at 6:00 with ♎60km to go.
55km to go
The in🦹termediate sprint comes in 2km in the centre of Umberti༺de.
The break leads by 5:50 and so Alpecin have put two riders on the fro༒nt to pick up the chase.
The fཧinish suits van de🤪r Poel and so he is right to invest in his chances.
Here comes the sprint.
The break r𒁃olls through the sprint point and so Davide Bais (Eolo Kome♒ta) leads the others across the line.
Mark Padun (Bahrain - Victor🌜ious) , Tobias Ludvigsson (Groupama FD🦂J) and Guillaume Boivin (Israel Start Up Nation) are still there.
Alpe📖cin are upping the pace after leaving Umbౠertide.
The gap to💛 the 𝕴break is down to 4:33 but it will surely fall quickly now.
The breꦺak has covered the short climb and is diving down the va🔥lley towards Gubbio, desperate to stay away.
🇮🇹 #TirrenoAdriaticowith 50km remaining the gap of the escapees is just under 5‘. pic.twitter.com/FwMfDJuzcE
#TirrenoAdriatico. The breakaway temporaly saw their lead increase. Within the final 50 km, the gap is 5:00. @davide_bais was first the Umbertide intermediate sprint. What a stage for him! [📷 Maurizio Borserini]#EOLOKOMETACyclingTeam #TheRaceOfTheTwoSeas #LaCorsaDeiDueMari pic.twitter.com/yANc04nowL
40km to go
The break is down to 3:20 with 40km to go.
The chase is on.
Rear flat for Viviani. The speed is up and so he will perhaps take a bik🌌e change.
Sꦓeveral team leaders aﷺre given a final bidon for the final 35km of the stage.
The s🌄peed will soon be too high for further feeding and then the 'bar' will close with 20km to go.
Padun takes a big turn on the front of the break but 𝔉their lead is down to 2:45.
Ouch. Ivan Cortina is🐲 full of road rash after a crash. He has lost skin on both sides.
The race will soon pass below G🧸ubbio and then continue south towards Gualdo ༒Tadino.
Viviani is back in the bunch. ꦅBut he is likely to struggled on the rise to the finish.
30km to go
The Qhubeka Assos move up to the front of the peloton, followed b🐼y Bora.🅰
What are 𝔉their plans? Perhaps a move in🍸 the crosswinds?
Ineos and Deceuninck are also moving up.
25km to go
The peloton passes through Gubbio, passing the Roman ampitheatre and other historic buildings. 🎀;
Th♈e Umbria va🧸lley is on the path of the religious pilgrims and so is dotted with superb architecture.
The next section of road is gradually downhil🔯l and so will be fast as the peloton💜 pursue the break.
The lead of the break is fading more and more. It is down to 1:🅺30 now.
Padun does a tu💜rn in the breaꦯk using an super tuck position.
From April 1 those positions will be banne🍨d for safety reasons and he will be fined if he does🔜 after that date.
18km to go.
The gap is below a minute.
Sivakov stops perhaps due to a mechanical problem. He 🃏is best young rider but faces a chase t💖o get back on.
Deceuninck are leading the peloton at high speed.
Sivakov gets back on and is taken up front by Salvatore Puccio and Jonathan Castroviejo.
10km to go
The peloton𓂃 can see the break now. It's almost grupp♚o compatto.
After a right turn the final 9km are flat and straight be🌌fore the kick up to the finish.
Ludvigsson and Bias are dropped from the break.
10km to go
The turn right is fast via a chicane.
More mechanical problems for Viviani. Hi📖s chances are over.
Positioning for the finish is vital. The rꦿoad climbs to a sharp left turn with 1km to go.&nb𓆏sp;
It is𓆉 follo🌃wed by a sweeping right and then another left turn to the finish.
The final 200m rise at around 5%.
Me🐻rlier has been dropped and so it is up to van der Poel today.
🔯His teammates are on longer on the🃏 front and van der Poel is fighting to stay near Van Aert's wheel.
5km to go
The last three of t♋he break are being allowed to hang off the f♍ront. But we can soon expect a final acceleration from the peloton.
This is the kick-up to the finish.
Before tꦬh🥃e escapees are caught and the teams bring their leaders to the front, make sure you check out the profile of the final three kilometers of today's #TirrenoAdriatico stage. pic.twitter.com/xVACbLP3eE
Asgreen l🦹eads Alaphilipp𒊎e up to the front, alongside Jumbo.
Crash in the bunch!
Quinn Simmons and Stefan Kung are involved.
Belletti of 𓃲Eolo also went down hard on ඣhis shoulder.
2km to go
Gruppo compatto.
It's a fight for the front before the corner!
Alaphilippe is second wheel.
Van Aert and van der Poel are there too!
So is van Avermaet.
Last KM!
Deceuninck lead it out.
Alaphilippe has let a gap go.
Van Aert leads the chase.
Boom. Van der Poel wins it!
He was on Van Aert's wheel and then accelerated to🃏 victory.
He went deep but is happy to win.
Van Aert was forced to lead out the sprint after Alaphilippe let Stybar go a♈lone in the final 500m.&nb🐬sp;
That cost him and he could do lit🉐💜tle to take on his rival van der Poel.
Alaphilippe rode for Ballerini but they were a✤ little too far bac𝓀k and so Ballerini ran out of road.
He finished third but was too far back wꦏhen he should have💛 been on van der Poel's wheel.
Van 🌊der Poel crossed arms and then appeared to pull out a sword as a victory celebration.
Sergio Higuita (EF) was an impressive fourth afte🥀r beౠing with Van Aert and van der Poel in the sprint.
🇮🇹 #TirrenoAdriatico: Victoria para Van de Poel (AFC) por delante de Van Aert (TJV) y Ballerini (DQT).➡️ 7º puesto para @ivan_cortina y 9º para @gonzaloserrano9 pic.twitter.com/HQN4dP1Q7t
Greg van Avermaet fi🅷nished fifth, while ꧒Tadej Pogacar was 7th.
Van der Poel took a ten-second time bonus for his win but Van Aert picked-up six seconds and so kept theꦺ race lead.
He leads his eternal rival by 4 seconds, with🥀 stage 2 winner Alaphilippe third overall at 19 seconds.
This is the top ten for the stage and the GC.
Rank | Bib | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Fenix | 5:24:18 |
2 | Wout Van Aert (Bel) Jumbo-Visma | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
3 | Davide Ballerini (Ita) Deceuninck-QuickStep | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
4 | Sergio Higuita Garcia (Col) EF Education-Nippo | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
5 | Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) AG2R Citroën Team | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Jasper De Buyst (Bel) Lotto Soudal | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Ivan Garcia Cortina (Spa) Movistar Team | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
8 | Tadej Pogacar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Gonzalo Serrano Rodriguez (Spa) Movistar Team | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
10 | Hugo Hofstetter (Fra) Israel Start-up Nation | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
Rank | Bib | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Wout Van Aert (Bel) Jumbo-Visma | 14:01:47 |
2 | Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Fenix | 0:0:04 |
3 | Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck-QuickStep | 0:0:10 |
4 | Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Bahrain Victorious | 0:0:19 |
5 | Tadej Pogacar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates | 0:0:20 |
6 | Robert Stannard (Aus) Team BikeExchange | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | João Almeida (Por) Deceuninck-QuickStep | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
8 | Sergio Higuita Garcia (Col) EF Education-Nippo | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Jasper De Buyst (Bel) Lotto Soudal | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
10 | Patrick Konrad (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
So far Van Aert has collected a total ofꦯ 20 bonus seconds. They could be the difference between overall victory and a place on the podium at the end of Tirreno-Adriatico.
Of course, everything will depend on what happens this weekend on the mountain ♉finish at Prati di Tivo and then on the Muꩲri stage around the ramps of Castelfidardo.
Here's MvdP win.
🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥💪@mathieuvdpoel 💪🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦#TirrenoAdriatico pic.twitter.com/sbuvGPJ4g9
Here's a series of t🍃hree great finish shots.
You can see van der Poel's celebrations.
Van der Poel said he wanted to win to make up for his miꦇstake iꦡn Thursday's sprint.
He explained his folded arm celebration:
"We saw ✃this celebration in MotoGP on Instagram with the team. I thought I'd do it," he said.
For van der Poel, winning🐼 the stage was about putting things right after missin⛦g out on Thursday.
"I was frustrated yesterday with my mistake in the sprint and I wanted to make it right today. I was happy🀅 to take the win after the ๊team also did an amazing job to close the break," he said.
MvdP also talked abo🎃ut how he took advantage of Van Aert꧙ chasing down Stybar's late attack.
"Wout immediately reacte🅘d to Alaphilippe letting the gap go, otherwise it could have been dangerous. I think I made the right decision to follow. It was a hard sprint, it went up hill a bit. A💃fter such a long stage, it hurt," he said.
"I really wanted to win a stage and that’s why I was frustrated with myself yesterdౠay. I’m glad to win today."
To read more about the stage and ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚsee ouꦜr full results and growing photo gallery, click below.
Tirreno-Adriatico: Mathieu van der Poel wins stage 3 in Gualdo Tadino
Here's MvdP o꧑n the Tirreno-Adriatico podium.
🚀 It's the first bunch sprint won by @mathieuvdpoel since 2019 (Tour of Britain)🥇 29% of his wins are bunch sprints since 2019#cycling #ciclismo #MVDP #TirrenoAdriatico pic.twitter.com/OC5pWHvoZp
However Van Aert remains with the crown and race lead at Tirreno-Adriatico before Saturday's important 𝓀mountain stage.
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