PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2024 stage 3 - Wout Van Aert and Kaden Groves face off again but in 40-degree heat hilly stage
Cycling
Stage 3 of the Vuelta a España will be quite a brutal day. On paper one for the sprinters but in reality one that not only features quite a lot of climbing but also extreme heat as the riders tackle another full day in Portuguese territory. We preview what should be quite a difficult day.
The third day of racing won't be too different. On paper a day designed for the sprinters but with a hilly start and a few climbs during the day that, together with the heat, will throw in quite a lot of obstacles for those who struggle outside of the flat roads. The stage immediately starts off with a 5.6-kilometer long ascent at 3.7%... The first 25 kilometers are a roller-coaster, but it doesn't really get easier from there on.
Stage 3: Lousã - Castelo Branco, 189.3 kilometers
There will still be over 100 kilometers to go but the riders will tackle a 17-kilometer long ascent which will put some fatigue in the legs of the riders. With 43 kilometers to go comes the end of the last true climb of the day which is 6.3 kilometers at 3.3%. There is, again, 2600 meters of climbing on the day and a little bit of it still comes in the final kilometers.
The sprint finish in Castelo Branco is also not flat. It won't be anything dramatic, but the slight uphill gradients in the final 2 kilometers will make it just that bit harder and will drain the legs of a few sprinters. There is not technical aspect to it at all - only a slight roundabout with 1 kilometer to go.
Read also
The Weather
Map Vuelta a España 2024 stage 3
Insane heat is coming in the direction of the riders. No less than 37 degrees are expected at the finish. This can lead to some riders truly suffering, and it can also lead to some having problems that will affect them in the coming days. Regarding the stage, it shouldn't prevent it from being a sprint but it will certainly make it tougher and more difficult to control. The wind will blow from the northwest at first in the day but this will fade as the riders go on, not much is expected in the finale.
The Favourites
Wout van Aert - Visma have done exactly what they do best. They did not have a leadout, but the sole presence of Edoardo Affini gave the team enough firepower to get van Aert to the sprint perfectly. Hence, you can expect the Italian to do the same, specially as no other team had any bit of leadout in the final kilometer. This will be another slightly uphill sprint but it won't favour him enough still. But I am sure that beating Groves is a matter of putting just a little more watts and is a fully realistic scenario.
Kaden Groves - The Australian was expected to take the first one, and showed today that he is in great form because the finale was hard and not just a pure bunch sprint. There weren't good signs from his leadout which means he will have to likely start his moves again from behind but he is the strongest sprinter in the race on paper. Two-for-two remains the most likely scenario for the day.
Read also
A few more men will be fighting for top places but I think will remain quite below. Corbin Strong put up quite a strong sprint today quite honestly, he will not have a leadout but can certainly contest for the victory if he starts his sprint right in the wheel of van Aert or Groves this time around. Bryan Coquard, Pavel Bittner, Ide Schelling, Pau Miquel, Jon Aberasturi and today's unlucky rider Mathias Vacek should also be among the fast men.
What about attacks. I thought they would come today but that certainly did not turn out to be the case. I believe that with such weather conditions it is more and more hard to control the stage for a sprint. But at the same time, knowing it's the first days of the race and seeing how it went today, I get the feeling most will not want to take the chance and instead try to do that later in the race.
Still this is no reason to discard very talented riders like KOM classification leader Stefan Küng, Oier Lazkano, Kasper Asgreen and Bruno Armirail. A few more can certainly take the chance it's not a very selective day, but also the crashes today affected a few riders that could take the opportunity.
Prediction 2024 Vuelta a España 2024 stage 3:
*** Wout van Aert, Kaden Groves
** Corbin Strong
* Bryan Coquard, Mathias Vacek, Pau Miquel, Ide Schelling, Pavel Bittner
** Corbin Strong
* Bryan Coquard, Mathias Vacek, Pau Miquel, Ide Schelling, Pavel Bittner
Pick: Kaden Groves
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Hopefully it was just a particularly bad year!Lozza05-11-2026
- He has the Twin combo of being vulnerable to germs and prone to crashes on top of not heeding the complaints from his body. Thats just crash and burn career.abstractengineer05-11-2026
- You can't complete a journey without taking next step. He has to do that or start looking for another job. I hope he can get his act together. It's a make or break next season for him. I wish him well.Cyclingsbestfan05-11-2026
- does anyone really think he is taking a next step?mij05-11-2026
- in the team’s defense, Bernal is 29. when he won his first TdF people were talking about him winning a record # of GTs. Where would they be if that crash had never happened. I’m not saying he would compete with Tadej, but he did podium Strade Bianche, and certainly could have won a GT that Tadej wasn’t in.mij05-11-2026
- "c'mon Jonas!"wrsty05-11-2026
- I see I missed a lot during my boycott.Jumpyjohn05-11-2026
- What kind of sauce is on that rice? Ketchup?Kbd05-11-2026
- 18 broken bones. 78 crashes, among 30 rider per year is a lot. so for a rider over 15 seasons, they will break their bones 7-8 times and crash 38 times.abstractengineer04-11-2026
- i dont think he is ready ot win against the top 2 or the 2nd rung of evenepoel, del toro , Almeida. In the third week in the TDF he was very very defensive, no attacks. i think he was exhausted. right now he needs time not the brutal Giro or the intense TDF.abstractengineer04-11-2026
Loading
Who´s next ⁉️🤔 ¿Quién será el siguiente? 👀 #LaVuelta24
Write a comment