PREVIEW | Renewi Tour 2023 stage 3 - Queen stage sees multiple ascents of Mur de Geraardsbergen and Bosberg

Preview stage 3. With five stages in length, the Renewi Tour from the 23rd to 27th of August has been shortened but is back in the peloton, the World Tour peloton will tackle the roads of the Benelux where the sprinters, classics specialists and time-trialists will be in the spotlight.

A very explosive hilly stage and one which will be very exciting. Stage 3 of the Benelux race will see the riders in pure Flandrien roads and they will be tackling several of the most famous cobbled climbs, race the traditional circuit of the race and end in Geraardsbergen. The first 75 kilometers of the day are mostly flat and with not much to report, but from there on it's an almost constant roller-coaster of a ride.

Then the riders will take a circuit with three climbs in quick succession which will be ridden two times. First the Donderoodstraat (600 meters at 7.5%), then the Mur de Geraardsbergen (1.2Km; 7.3%) and finally the Bosberg (700 meters at 6%). Each have very difficult gradients, the Mur specially goes towards the 20% and is the most difficult of the ascents.

Towards the end the riders will climb the first two once again towards the finish line. The Donderoodstraat finishes with just 5.5 kilometers to go and then the finale will be in the town of Geraardsbergen, in the middle of the ascent, the ramp will be the climb's first 600 meters which average 6.5% in the cobbles.

Prediction Renewi Tour 2023 stage 3:

*** Tim Wellens, Matej Mohoric
** Soren Kragh Andersen, Kasper Asgreen
* Olav Kooij, Jasper Philipsen, Arnaud De Lie, Yves Lampaert, Fred Wright, Jasper Stuyven, Thibau Nys, Marc Hirschi, Matteo Trentin, Valentin Madouas

Pick: Tim Wellens