PREVIEW | Itzulia Basque Country 2023 stage 3 - Peloton faces 24% final sprint in explosive stage that will open GC fight

Preview. After two tricky stages that came down to reduced group sprints, stage 3 of the Itzulia Basque Country will be a very different affair. In fact the complete opposite, as the riders just completed a downhill finish, and this time around they face a 24% ramp to the line.

Stage 3 will be a traditional Basque day, packed with short and steep climbs. Many of them uncategorized, but the second half of the stage has plenty of them in quick succession. It's a classic Basque day, packed with excruciatingly steep climbs which should be packed with fans and riders on their limit. It's a return to a part of cycling that is not as common currently - which is a good way to term this year's edition.

Estimated start and time times for Stage 3: 14:40 - 18:30CET

The day has five categorized climbs, but interestingly the toughest is not one of them. There are ten climbs within the last two thirds of the stage, which does not feature the same rompe-piernas terrain of previous days, but instead it is very clear where the riders need to be in front and to push themselves.

The final 15 kilometers alone have four climb: 1.5Km at 9.7%; 1Km at 10%; 700 meters at 8.8% and the hilltop in which the stage ends with which is 1.1 kilometers at 9.4%. This is where the stage will be decided. Each ascent is an opportunity to attack and there is a very short restbite between all of them. The gradients will be high consistently, however I argue that most riders will decide to wait for the final climb because of the mammoth task they'll have at hand.

Something we do not see everyday. The finale into Amasa-Villabona is 1.1 kilometers at 9.4% but the basic stats hide a big secret. The final meters of this stage take place in a recently paved road where the gradients go up to a whole 24%. It's a straight line ramp at over 20% directly into the finish line, an insanely hard finale which will see many tumble or put a foot down after the line no doubt. The overall classification will be played here, and a very dramatic finish is likely.

The Weather

A small breeze from the north, but something relatively irrelevant in the big picture of the day.

The Favourites

This is a day for the GC to open up, no doubt. It'll be a very interesting mix of riders in the fight for the victory if it doesn't come down to a breakaway, and there will be plenty of contenders - and no true man to beat. All will be looking for every single second. On a sharp steep finish like this you will have riders who will be favoured such as lightweight explosive figures such as David Gaudu and Sergio Higuita.

Jonas Vingegaard and Enric Mas prefer the long climbs but could well take a victory in this terrain too, lacking the most explosive riders in the peloton in the Basque Country. Man in form Ion Izagirre has also recently put on a brilliant display in a similar finale at the GP Miguel Indurain to take the win. Simon Yates, Mikel Landa, Mattias Skjelmose, Richard Carapaz, Rigoberto Uran and Brandon McNulty will all be towards the front and looking to perform as best as possible. Above all this is a day for the riders to find out who is truly in the fight for the win and who won't be contesting the GC, and could be rather conservative.

Daniel Martínez lost time on the road today late on as did Marc Soler due to a crash. The dangerous finale has seen it's consequences and some riders already have to take back time. Outside of these, the day could see puncheurs in the battle, although nowadays the climbers frequently take over the reigns even in this kind of short punchy finishes.

Soudal - Quickstep duo Mauro Schmid and Andrea Bagioli will be looking out for opportunities. Movistar could be working for Enric Mas but if the race is rather consolidated there could be an opportunity for both Alex Aranburu and Gonzalo Serrano. Rui Costa and Quinten Hermans will also be outsiders for such a stage, specially if they have their best legs.

Prediction Itzulia Basque Country 2023 stage 3:

*** David Gaudu, Jonas Vingegaard, Enric Mas
** Sergio Higuita, Ion Izagirre, Simon Yates
* Mikel Landa, Mattias Skjelmose, Richard Carapaz, Rigoberto Uran, Daniel Martínez, Mauro Schmid

Pick: Jonas Vingegaard