Another interlocutory stop at the Vuelta España, despite the hot start which would have predicted something other than a group sprint. However, a sprint that cannot be taken for granted, after a stage with a lot of altitude difference and with a longer finish puncher fast and like a sprinter as well. An ending that loudly shouted the name of Marianne Vos, who in fact had no opponents on the arrival of Teruel.
The champion of Team Visma Lease a Bike today she played alone, in what is becoming her backyard favourite: he made his debut at the Vuelta just last year, winning two stages and wearing the red jersey and winning the points classification, and given the premises and the plan of the next few days it cannot be ruled out that his haul could be the same.
Vuelta España 2024, the news of the third stage
We start again without Anna Henderson (collarbone fracture) e Clara Emond (fractured elbow), both involved in yesterday’s falls. At the start from Lucena del Cid isn’t even there Marta Cavalli, while he abandoned at the start of the stage Emma Norsgaard.
Initially he goes solo Mireia Benito (AG Insurance-Soudal Team), but in the group there are several attempts to take away even a large group, in a stage that could become an opportunity for a distant escape. Shortly afterwards they actually try Mischa Bredewold (Team SD Worx-Protime), Brodie Chapman (Lidl Trek), Amber Kraak (FDJ-Suez), Eva van Agt (Team Visma Lease a Bike), Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck) e Thalita De Jong (Lotto Dstny), but the collaboration is not optimal and the group goes to pick them up after a few kilometers.
This will remain the most dangerous attempt of the first hour of the race, with the only Benito to remain in front and gain up to four minutes on the group at the foot of theAlto Fuente de Rubielos (5.9 km at 6.4%), the only categorized climb of the day. The Catalan team from AG Insurance increases its margin again up to the top of the hill, while behind no team is particularly pressing, but there is starting to be a bit of selection from behind, with also the green jersey of Alison Jackson which loses its wheels and only returns after the descent.
The race heats up again in view of the flying finish line of Mora de Rubielos, to which Benito passes first with a 4’40” advantage. From behind she moves alone Grace Brown with one of his typical solitary actions, and gains about fifteen seconds, while behind Blanka Vas takes third place in the intermediate and earns another 2″ bonus to consolidate her red jersey. The action of the Australian FDJ-Suez runs out quickly, with the Team SD Worx-Protime who takes the lead of the group for a few kilometres.
Mireia Benito enters the last thirty kilometers with still three minutes of advantage, but it remains an almost impossible task to be able to resist the wind and on roads that are always slightly uphill. Behind he starts making the rhythm Team Visma Lease a Bike, who wants to take back the sprint opportunity that Marianne Vos didn’t have yesterday. He’s still there in the group too Charlotte Koolwho today responded much better to a stage that on paper should have been more demanding, but turned out to be anything but.
Sprint without history
We then arrive at a pure sprint stage, once Benito recovery at -7.5, after over 110 kilometers of solitary adventure. Even today the fight between the trains develops along a final dotted with roundabouts, and even today there is a fairly important fall in the center of the group within three kilometres. The one paying the price is Thalita De Jong, who should have sprinted for the Dstny Lot but she’s the first to go down. The group then arrives scattered within the last two kilometres, when the train of Movistarwhich had controlled the last kilometres, begins to disjoin.
At the last kilometre, Visma LAB returns to the front and scores ideally located Vos. Kool also found a good position at the end, but after a stage with so much difference in altitude and a final straight that tends to rise slightly he is unable to really be in the running for the victory. Marianne Vos is unopposedwhich comes out at the right time taking advantage of the involuntary leadout of Liane Lippert and wins clearly. Kool still holds second place ahead of Olivia Baril (Movistar). Among the ten hips Eleonora Ciabocco (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL), seventh.
However, Blanka Vas did not sprint, but thanks to the bonuses at the flying finish he managed to defend his red jersey, with just 1″ on Vos, which tomorrow has already set its sights on the symbol of the record in the stage for sprinters arriving in Zaragoza. No significant shock to the rankings despite the crash at the end, so the damage will have to be assessed tomorrow too. Apprehension especially about the conditions Natalie Grinczer (Roland), fell halfway through the stage and was taken away in an ambulance.
