Stage 3 favorites – 2025 Tour of the Alps | Storer in for a battle, or is attack the best defense?

Stage 3 is a bit shorter than the previous day, but certainly not any easier. While Tuesday’s difficulty was front-loaded, Wednesday’s challenges start around kilometer 50. The riders first face a gradual uphill drag to Longega, followed by an uncategorized climb to the summit of Antermoia. That one comes in two parts: 4.7 km at an average gradient of 8.8% (max 10.2%), followed by a short descent and another 1.5 km at 7.5%.

Then there’s a further kicker of 2.6 km at 5.5%, also uncategorized. The official climbing begins only at the base of the Passo Furcia, a tough ascent of 7.7 km at 7.3% average, maxing out at 11.5%, with the real sting in the second half. But since the summit lies 55 km from the finish, it may not trigger early attacks. After descending, the route heads uphill again via a false flat toward the final climb of the day: Monte Versciaco. At 5.9 km with a 7.1% average gradient, it’s a solid challenge, especially because the toughest part comes right at the beginning.

This time, attacking could definitely pay off. After the summit, there are still 11 kilometers remaining. It starts with a short plateau, followed by a fast and furious descent. The finish line sits almost immediately at the bottom in Innichen, which makes a solo move much more realistic.

Times
Start: 10:30 AM (local time) | 4:30 AM (EST)
Finish: around 2:15 PM (local time) | 8:15 AM (EST)

After two surprisingly sunny days, riders will once again enjoy good conditions at the start in Sterzing on Wednesday. Temperatures are expected to reach 13°C at the start, with barely any wind. However, by early afternoon, there’s a chance of rain. With a bit of luck, the peloton might just stay ahead of the showers. Some rain is expected in Innichen around 3:00 PM, but the stage is expected to finish by about 2:15 PM.

Giulio Ciccone looked strong on Stage 1, but Michael Storer hit back hard on Stage 2. The Lidl–Trek rider saw his 10-second GC lead turn into a 41-second deficit to Tudor’s team leader. Expect both riders to be at the front of the action again on Stage 3. Storer doesn’t necessarily have to attack, he holds a solid 41-second cushion over both Ciccone and Paul Seixas (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale). But those two will need to go on the offensive if they want a stage win or time gains. Then again—maybe Storer goes on the attack himself once more?

Stage 2 gave us a better sense of the pecking order in the mountains. Alongside Ciccone and Seixas, Romain Bardet, Max Poole (Picnic–PostNL), Davide Piganzoli (Polti), Jai Hindley (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe), Felix Gall (also Decathlon), Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious), and Jefferson Cepeda (EF) all finished among the first chasers. But who among them is willing to take risks on Wednesday, both uphill and on the descent?

In the second group, already one and a half minutes behind the stage winner, there were still some names worth watching. Tudor could play the tactical game by sending Florian Stork up the road. Israel–Premier Tech, with Matthew Riccitello and Derek Gee, wasn't among the best and will also need to improvise. The same goes for Jayco–AlUla, who have two cards to play in Paul Double and Eddie Dunbar. Bardiani will no doubt be hoping for some room for their strong climbers Luca Covili, Alessio Martinelli, and/or Alex Tolio.

And that’s not all, what will Thymen Arensman do for INEOS? Will he continue to follow wheels and lose time, or is he ready to respond? If an early breakaway makes it to the line, it’ll need to include strong climbers. Decathlon might send Nicolas Prodhomme up the road, or maybe Lidl–Trek throws a wildcard like Juan Pedro López, Tao Geoghegan Hart, Sam Oomen, or Lennard Kämna into the mix. Also keep an eye on Mattia Bais (Polti), Marco Frigo (Israel), and King of the Mountains Finlay Pickering (Bahrain), all solid breakaway candidates.

Top favorites: Michael Storer (Tudor) and Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek)
Outsiders: Paul Seixas (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Romain Bardet (Picnic-PostNL) and Jai Hindley (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Long shots: Davide Piganzoli (Polti), Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious), Jefferson Cepeda (EF), Matthew Riccitello (Israel-Premier Tech), Lennard Kämna (Lidl-Trek), Florian Stork (Tudor), Max Poole (Picnic-PostNL)

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])