Alessandro Covi triumphs for UAE as breakaway is denied in dramatic finale to stage 3 of Vuelta a Asturias 2025

Stage 3 of the Vuelta a Asturias 2025 proved to be the most difficult to follow so far. After the excellent coverage on the previous day, the race’s official X (formerly Twitter) account was unexpectedly suspended, making real-time updates and tracking virtually impossible.

Despite the coverage issues, we now know that the stage was won by Alessandro Covi, after the peloton successfully reeled in the breakaway in the final stretch.

The day began with a flurry of attacks from the peloton as riders sought to establish an early breakaway. Eventually, with around 130 kilometres remaining, a strong group of eight riders managed to escape. Among the most notable were Antonio Morgado (UAE Team Emirates) and Gonzalo Serrano (Movistar Team).

They were joined by: Alex Diaz (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA), Carlos García Pierna (Burgos Burpellet BH), Antonio Jesús Soto (Kern Pharma), Pau Llaneras (Illes Balears Arabay), Alan Josseaume and Matteo Verecher (TotalEnergies).

On the climb up Alto de la Bobia, less than 100 km from the finish, Pau Llaneras dropped from the lead group, reducing the breakaway to seven. At the summit, the group held a two-minute advantage over the peloton, with Carlos García Pierna cresting the climb first, followed by Antonio Jesús Soto and Gonzalo Serrano.

By the end of the Alto la Garganta, 50 km from the line, the breakaway’s lead had extended to nearly three minutes. However, the peloton regained some ground on the descent, trimming the gap by a minute. With 40 km to go, the escapees managed to claw back a few seconds, stabilising their lead at around 2 minutes 15 seconds.

At the 30 km mark, the peloton began to ramp up the pace, reducing the deficit to 1 minute 40. Yet the breakaway remained resilient. With 25 km remaining, they surged again, stretching their lead back to 2 minutes 30, reigniting hopes of a stage win from the front.

The peloton responded with urgency. By the 15 km point, the lead was down to 1 minute 20, and the race was wide open. As the final 10 km approached, the breakaway’s advantage had shrunk to just a minute. A sprint finish looked increasingly likely, especially when the peloton closed to within 25 seconds with 5 km to go.

Going into the final 10 km, the breakaway was only 1 minute behind the peloton. The sprint finish, however, looked set to happen, especially when 5 km from the finish the main group was already 25 seconds behind the 8 riders in the lead.

In the final kilometre, the fast men came to the fore. It was Alessandro Covi who ultimately triumphed, delivering yet another victory for UAE Team Emirates, a team continuing to dominate every race it enters.