Stage 3 of the Vuelta a España 2024 saw the peloton cover 191.2 kilometres from Lousa to Castelo Branco, in what would be the last day of racing on Portuguese soil before crossing into Spain. The stage was largely expected to culminate in a bunch sprint, but the early kilometres were dominated by a four-man breakaway, adding an element of unpredictability to the day.
The breakaway group included experienced riders like Luis Ángel Maté and Xabier Isasa from Euskaltel-Euskadi. Maté, the oldest rider in the race at 40, was joined by compatriots Unai Iribar and Ibon Ruiz. The quartet worked together to build a substantial gap, at one point stretching to around five minutes. However, the peloton, led by Visma-Lease a Bike, kept the breakaway in check, never allowing them too much freedom.
As the race progressed, it became clear that the breakaway would not last. With around 40 kilometres remaining, the pace in the peloton began to ramp up, and the gap to the escapees started to diminish rapidly. Isasa, who had been the last to resist, was finally caught with 20 kilometres to go. The catch set the stage for the anticipated bunch sprint, with teams jostling for position as they approached Castelo Branco.
In the final kilometres, the sprint teams came to the fore, particularly Visma-Lease a Bike, who controlled the race superbly to set up their leader, Wout van Aert. The Belgian rider, wearing the red jersey, had learned from his defeat to Kaden Groves in Stage 2 and executed his sprint strategy perfectly. Launching his sprint early, Van Aert powered to the line, holding off Groves, who was unable to replicate his success from the previous day.
Rider Quotes
After his victory, Wout van Aert reflected on the importance of patience and strategy in his win. “It’s worth it to be patient. It’s been quite a while since I could raise my hands and it feels so good,” Van Aert said. “I think I surprised him to go even before 200m. It was the perfect sprint for me.”
He also acknowledged the strong performance of his team, which played a crucial role in his victory. “The confidence was good. I felt I had good legs. That was also the case yesterday. I was beaten by Groves, so I knew I had to start a bit earlier today. A long sprint remains one of my strengths. I am happy I could finish it for the boys. The team rode a fantastic race.”
Despite the win, Van Aert was realistic about the challenges ahead, particularly with the mountains looming in Stage 4. “Unfortunately, the fun is over, and tomorrow I’ll be happy to give the role as team leader to Sepp and Cian,” he remarked, hinting at the difficulty of the upcoming terrain.
Meanwhile, Pavel Bittner of Team dsm-firmenich PostNL, who secured a fifth-place finish, expressed satisfaction with his performance. “It’s one place progression so that’s always nice,” Bittner said. “It was quite twisty so the guys ahead of me had an advantage, but it’s still really nice to sprint for a top five in a Grand Tour stage.”
Bittner’s coach, Phil West, was also pleased with the team’s efforts. “The boys are working well as a team, and cooling and eating really good,” he said. “We were able to bring Pavel into the finish in a really nice way, and we saw some good teamwork in the final of the race. It was another nice sprint from Pavel to get fifth on the day, which is a good result.”
As the race enters Spain, the general classification contenders are set to take centre stage, with Van Aert likely shifting his focus to supporting his teammates.
2024 Vuelta a Espana Stage 3 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Cor Vos
