The third stage with 3 1/2 longer hill climbs and then multiple smaller hills with 4 in the very end with the last being the uphill finish.
While most stage racers are decent in hill climbing and actually some of the best, there are 2 extremes though.
One the one hand those that really love riding here such as Guldhammer, Preidler, Morton or Machado as stage racer or Costa/ Demare as pure hill riders, which lack the mountain skills.
And on the other hand the pure climbers such as Cattaneo, Abal, Henao Montoya, Carapaz or with less gap Alarcon. Some of the best on long mountains, but struggling on short ramps and hence a day they are not really looking forward to.
The stage starts with an interesting and unexpected scenario. Costa as the peloton`s best puncheur goes into the breakaway!
Does he think the stage racers have better chances due to the longer climbs going towards the mountain riders? Or simply to make the others more exhausted?
He is getting strong support in that early group as well as Festina`s co-leader Chamorro is joining him just like Ludvigsson.
Behind former Giro winner Ricco attacking as well with De Gendt and Sergis.
De Gendt as weakest puncheur struggling to keep contact and also Ricco a bit later with a gap, though he should be able to go faster and might just wait?
Probably waiting as the peloton went too fast and didn`t allow them a lot. Already after the first kilometers on that early Cat.2 the peloton brought them back as it`s too dangerous to give them such gap.
Good opportunity for KoM leader Mraouni to get uncontested points. Normally a rider to struggle on a climb but as pace just was lower he attacked and succesfully adds 10 more points with Ivars, Wisniowski, Figueiredo and Ricco next. UBS and Porto working as this list shows.
Evonik wants to make this an interesting race and without having a real GC contender here, they can send their strongest climbers into the attack. Now it`s actually their strongest indeed in Vosekalns as he is solo ahead the 168 rider peloton as some are dropped already from there.
Vosekalns is winning the first Cat.2/Cat.3 combination but is not getting a big gap. Vasyliv for Festina and Canty for Mitchelton keep the peloton fast and it`s down to 62 riders already and just 47s behind the Evonik leader.
Biggest names missing from the peloton are surprisingly many Vesuvio riders! Kirsch in the first group behind, Goos another one and Heymes even further behind.
Other riders being dropped are: Ignatenko Novikov Pantano Gómez Herrada Felline Navardauskas Rosch Ablenado
Awful news for Schleck as the whole mountain support trio are dropped and with 62 riders in the peloton, he is isolated as only EA Vesuvio rider! 70km to go still! Hopefully for them a one-time-scenario and not a sign of what to expect in the upcoming mountain stages.
Kirsch with Majka (for Dombrowski) who actually also was dropped is coming back a bit later and also Goos is able with 60km to go at the start of the next climb. Now they might show if it was simply concentration or weakness but in especially Goos was a big surprise seeing him such strong last season as top10 in a GT even.
Mitchelton go crazy. With 58km to go Morton asks for a higher pace and Bayly and Smith deliver. Good for EA Vesuvio that the leader itself is showing promising form already as Schleck is the only one immediately following.
Behind also Festina reacting as Chamorro is of great support for Lecuisinier and both opened a gap as well.
Schir for Amador and Majka for Dombrowski immediately take over in the peloton.
Vosekalns still won the next Cat.2 and Cat.3 and takes over from Mraouni with 32 points now and 25 for the Tunesian.
But right afterwards he is joined by that attacker group. Both Chamorro and Lecuisinier were able to join them and it`s dangerous with 3 potential top5 riders in the group now.
Bayly lost contact though after his work and Dion Smith is taking over now with support of Chamorro.
In the peloton it`s Aru now working for Dombrowski but it`s Amador or Machado as well now working.
And there goes Wisniowski as race leader. The GC surely will change today. With him Lars Boom as 6th in the GC, who also can`t follow, which makes Dekker isolated as well now.
Behind them already Fraile, Figuieredo, Schir or Carapaz as first 80+ rated climber to be dropped. He then should be of better support for Alarcon in the long climbs though.
And while Goos for Vesuvio remained in the peloton this time, Kirsch is again dropped!
Amador, Dombrowski, Cattaneo, Machado, Hirt, Guldhammer, Dekker, Choi, Henao Montoya, Costa, Bibby, Bongiorno, Nibali, Abal, Alarcon. The list of riders in the top spots of the peloton is long. Many are isolated. Others still have plenty of team support.
On a quick look Isostar with at least 3 (Polanc, Ricco, Faiers), Philips (Costa/Henao), Desigual (Nibali, Teklehaimanot, Oliveira), Gazelle (Bibby, Formolo, Kruijswijk), RBC (Cort Nielsen, Benoot, Rosskopf), Puma (Bongiorno, Demare, Mager) look strongest team wise.
Well just like Mitchelton and Festina, who are in front group and in peloton with at least 1.
Halfway up the final Cat.2 though the groups merge and it`s 46 riders now together.
Aru, Kolar, Frank, Canty as most recent dropped riders.
Mitchelton and Festina really strong today. Dyball, Smith mainly and Vasyliv, Chamorro for them and those also took the big points.
46 riders and just those 4 small climbs left.
Guldhammer the best puncheur of all GC riders and also Machado one of the best and those two attack next. Cattaneo for a moment as well with Amador highering the pace and all together again.
Kunshin and Vysna 2nd tier then only and they open a gap next with 10km to go.
Machado and Guldhammer though not done yet and with the next attack chasing the duo now.
Again though they are all caught and enter the last 6km together with a 46 rider peloton.
3rd time. Again Machado and Guldhammer! Now having a 30s gap iwith 4km to go and on the descent after the 3rd climb. Just one more to go.
Dombrowski in the lead chasing with 1,2km and the final climb is reached.
Demare and Costa next to him!
Morton, Henao Montoya, Lecuisinier, Bibby, Nibali, Chamorro, Faiers, Ricco, Amador, Kolesnikov, Cort Nielsen, Rosskopf as best placed behind them.
Then Formolo, Hirt, Dekker, CHoi, Schleck, Goos, Quintana, Cattaneo...
600m and Dombrowski jumps towards them. He seems strong and so far was able to save a bit of energy different to the others, that attacked.
200m and Guldhammer going past Machado! Dombrowski almost with them and then a gap clearly with the Puma duo Demare/Bongiorno still strong as also Morton.
But the win goes to Aker with Guldhammer. Well played today. Machado in 2nd and Dombrowski as 3rd with a good move today but his terrain are the longer climbs.
6s actually are counted for Machado and 15s for Dombrowski.
This also means though that the riders behind lose even more and those 3 are clear winners today.
Lecuisinier next as 4th 32s behind Guldhammer. With him Amador and Morton and this tiny gap behind is also given! 10s later Bibby, Bongiorno, Demare, Costa, Schleck and Hirt!
Henao then with a strong ride on hilly terrain at 53s with many more riders incl. Nibali, Alarcon, Quintana, Preidler, Kolesnikov, Dekker, Abal, Faiers, Choi.
Cattaneo as biggest name really struggled on that final kilometer and just like Goos is losing some more time. 2'18 for him!
Carapaz as last stage racer at 8min something.
And while Guldhammer takes over the GC, two riders already have to leave the race, which is a bad sign with a TTT yet to come. Even more as it`s two TT riders for Quintana and Abal in Kwok and Haugard!
