PREVIEW | Etoile de Bessèges 2024 stage 3 - Hilly day could decide GC, Axel Laurance dealt a tough task

Preview. From the 31st of January to the 4th of February the peloton is in France and will race the Etoile de Bessèges. It is the opening stage-race of the French calendar in 2024.

Stage 3 finally does not finish a hilltop sprint to the line, but that does not mean the riders are in for a calm day. Starting and finishing in Bessèges, the day features several ascents. The last four climbs are: 10Km at 3.2%, 4Km at 5.9%, 6.7Km at 3.6% and 2.4 kilometers at 5.1%. These hilltops will open the race quite a lot before the flat finale. A reduced bunch sprint could decide the day, but a small group or solo escapee can also succeed.

*** Mads Pedersen, Kévin Geniets
** Kévin Vauquelin, Axel Laurance
* Rémy Rochas, Brent van Moer, Alex Baudin, Aurélien Paret-Peintre, Mathieu Burgaudeau, Ben Healy, Magnus Cort Nielsen, Luca Mozzato

Pick: Mads Pedersen