The last 100% Italian stage of the Tour de France was also, this Monday, the longest of the 2024 edition. More than 230 kilometres were covered by the bunch, at a relatively moderate pace, with an anticipated final sprint in Turin. Biniam Girmay took the stage win, Richard Carapaz took the yellow jersey, and the Groupama-FDJ cycling team finished safely ahead of a mountainous fourth stage featuring the Col du Galibier on Tuesday.
Between Piacenza and Torino, the third day of racing of the “Grande Boucle” was not totally flat on Tuesday, but not far off… After the 230 kilometres on the menu, it seemed inevitable that a bunch sprint would award victory. This scenario was so expected that nobody decided to get involved in the battle at the start. The peloton therefore covered the entire first part of the stage all together, and at a relatively slow pace. “We had decided to get into the mix during the first two days and to be aggressive,” recalled Benoît Vaugrenard. “Today, however, we knew that it was for sprinters. The goal was therefore to save as much energy as possible, even if it may seem strange when there are 230 kilometres on the menu. Still, these days count and contribute to overall fatigue, even if they properly raced only in the last twenty-five kilometres. We had to save energy and avoid crashes.”
“The goal was not to crash”, Benoît Vaugrenard
Sixty kilometres from the finish, Fabien Grellier eventually launched a solitary attempt. However, he was logically caught with thirty kilometres to go, then the tension gradually increased with the sprint setting up. “We asked the riders not to take risks,” explained Benoît. “We had noted that there were a lot of traffic islands and roundabouts in the final, we knew that it would be very nervous, so the goal was not to crash.” A big fall indeed occurred two kilometres from the line, but the Groupama-FDJ riders managed to avoid it and join the line safely. Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay claimed victory. Tomorrow, stage four will feature 4000 metres of elevation gain towards Valloire, with the Col du Galibier twenty kilometres from the finish. “It will be a completely different stage, with a big fight for the breakaway,” previews Benoît. “We think the breakaway can make it, because the stage is short, and the finish is downhill. Several scenarios are possible. We want to be in the mix, and given the last few days, I’m not worried.”
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