Favorites stage 3 Tour of Guangxi 2024 | Will it be the powerful sprinters or the attackers?
Cycling
The Tour of Guangxi is gradually gearing up for real shifts in the general classification. Stage 3 may not be the queen stage, but with a significant amount of elevation and challenging climbs in the finale, it could certainly open things up. Warre Vangheluwe won stage 2, but Max Kanter took over the lead from Lionel Taminiaux. Will the German be able to hold on in this tough finish? IDLProCycling.com tells you everything you need to know!
Thursday's stage has some similarities to Wednesday's. The peloton starts in the previous day’s finish town, Jingxi. The first hundred kilometers offer a mostly flat route. The first climb (1 kilometer at 4 percent) follows, but the finale is where things get challenging. In the last sixty kilometers, the riders face two categorized climbs. The first is the longest: 9.5 kilometers at 2.8 percent, which may not seem intimidating, but the uneven terrain makes it trickier than expected.
After a plateau with constant ups and downs, the riders tackle the final official climb of the day. It’s short but steep: 1.4 kilometers at 7.4 percent. From there, we enter a descent, but not all the way to the finish — an uncategorized bump lies 13 kilometers from the line. This one is 1.5 kilometers at 5.6 percent, with the steepest section at the end. A strong GC rider might see an opportunity here. From there, we get another a descent and a flat section all the way to the finish in Bama.
Climbs
KoM (179.5 km): 1.5 km at 5.6%
Times
Weather stage 3 Tour of Guangxi 2024
While Europe is in the midst of autumn, riders in China will contend with hot temperatures. The mercury is expected to reach around 27 degrees Celsius, possibly climbing above 30. Riders will need to stay hydrated and douse themselves with water bottles to keep cool.
Favorites stage 3 Tour of Guangxi 2024
The finale of stage 3 opens up the race to a range of potential winners. Strong sprinters could hang on at a slower pace and finish the job in a sprint. Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) is one such rider. The Dutchman, if in form, should handle these types of climbs well. Other contenders could include Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech), Iván García Cortina (Movistar), Milan Fretin (Cofidis) and Luke Lamperti (Soudal Quick-Step).
Read more below the photo!
Race leader Max Kanter (Astana Qazaqstan) will do everything possible to defend his jersey, but the course may be a bit too demanding for him. Normally, Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers) might be a top favorite, but the Ecuadorian suffered a hard crash in the final kilometer on Wednesday. The same goes for Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek): it remains to be seen if they can recover from the crash.
If it doesn’t end in a sprint, we’ll look to climbers with punch. Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates) is one of the strongest on paper for this kind of terrain. However, he’s not the only one who might prefer to avoid a sprint. Maximilian Schachmann (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) is another contender, as is Koen Bouwman (Visma | Lease a Bike), riding his last race with the Dutch team — why not go out with a bang?
Favorites stage 3 Tour of Guangxi 2024, according to IDLProCycling.com
Top favorites: Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates) and Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost)
Longshots: Iván García Cortina (Movistar), Luke Lamperti (Soudal Quick-Step), Max Kanter (Astana), Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech) and Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek)
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Latest Comments
- I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024
- This is not a gravel race. UCI fail, from the surface they are on to team tactics. In what country was the first "gravel race" in what country is the most popular gravel race? Go with the race model that created the discipline.
Barnes127411-10-2024 - And don't forget he has now won 4 of the big 10 races (Grand tours, Monuments and WC/OG) in one year with a chance to make that 5. (5 has only been done once before)Joostmehrtens05-10-2024