Favorites stage 3 Vuelta a Espana 2024

Tuesday marks the true beginning of the Vuelta a Espana, but first, there’s a stage on Portuguese soil on Monday. Between Lousa and Castelo Branco, the sprinters will again seize one of the rare opportunities. IDLProCycling.com will tell you everything you need to know!

Route stage 3 Vuelta a Espana 2024

Favorites stage 3 Vuelta a Espana 2024 | Can Van Aert get his revenge on Groves in the red jersey?

So, it's the last day in Portugal. And it's immediately the most challenging of the three, although at the start in Lisbon, the fast men each noted that they see themselves sprinting for victory here. However, they will need to survive the tricky initial phase from Lousa: right from the start, the road climbs 5.6 kilometers at a 3.7 percent gradient, followed by constant rolling terrain.

This stage also includes 2700 meters of elevation gain, give or take, spread over 191.5 kilometers. After 66.5 kilometers, there’s a second-category climb, the Alto de Teixeira, where the polka dot jersey could potentially change shoulders. This climb is 17.5 kilometers long, but its average gradient of 3.2 percent doesn't intimidate the pros.

The same goes for the Alto de Alpedrinha, the second and final climb of the day, about forty kilometers from the finish. It averages 3.4 percent, followed by a reasonably long descent. Around ten kilometers from the finish, the lowest point is reached, after which the route heads toward Castelo Branco via several plateaus.

The race's final kilometers are relatively straightforward. With five kilometers left, the route veers off the main road and winds through several large loops before entering the final straight, a two-kilometer stretch that gently ascends, making timing crucial for a successful finish.

Climbs
84.0 km: Alto de Teixeira (17.5 km at 3.2%)
148.6 km: Alto de Alpedrinha (6.4 km at 3.4%)

Times
Start: 11:50 AM local time (GMT+1) / 06:50 AM (EST)
Finish: 4:18 PM local time (GMT+1) / 11:18 AM (EST)

Weather stage 3 Vuelta a Espana 2024

It will be hot, very hot. In the Portuguese hinterland, temperatures will reach around 37 degrees Celsius on Monday. Riders will mostly have a tailwind throughout the day, but staying hydrated will be key.

For Monday's favorites, we look to Sunday's results, when Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took the victory and Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) claimed the silver - and also the red jersey. It was already expected that these two men would be the main contenders, and that proved to be the case. Therefore, Van Aert and Groves are the top favorites for stage three! Can the Flemish rider strengthen his leading position?

Looking at the most serious outsiders, we consider Pavel Bittner (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech), and Arne Marit (Intermarché-Wanty). Bittner achieved a sixth place in his first-ever Vuelta sprint, while Kiwi Strong completed the podium behind Groves and Van Aert. Coquard and Marit, on the other hand, finished outside the top ten and will be eager for revenge, especially since there aren’t many sprint opportunities!

Interestingly, it was Pau Miquel (Equipo Kern Pharma) who crossed the finish line fourth on Sunday. The fast Spaniard should definitely be considered for stage three. Looking at fifth place, we see Lennert van Eetvelt (Lotto-Dsnty). This is somewhat special, as we primarily had the young Flemish rider marked as a top ten candidate in the GC. However, he did mix it up in the slightly uphill sprint; will he do it again on Monday?

Finally, we'd like to mention a few other potential contenders. Take 'local rider' - although we're still in Portugal - Jon Aberasturi (Euskaltel-Euskadi), who impressively finished seventh in the first sprint. Jhonatan Narvaez (INEOS Grenadiers) had an unfortunate crash in the final phase of stage two, although it seemed he was unharmed. Thus, we also mark him for stage three. We conclude with long shots like Carlos Canal (Movistar), the also crashed Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek), Arjen Livyns (Lotto-Dstny), and Roger Adria (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe).