Sprinters finally celebrating? After two hilly first stages of the Tour de France, with seven climbs each, the third between Piacenza and Turin should this time benefit the fast men. This third stage, still 100% Italian, will be the longest of this 111th edition.
Jasper Philipsen a favourite
There will be three difficulties to climb, the slopes of Tortona – Fausto Coppi (1.1 km at 6.3%), Barbaresco (1.5 km at 6.5%) and Sommariva Perno (3.1 km at 4, 6%), but they should not worry the sprinters, especially as they will be located far from the finish.
In these conditions, it is difficult to imagine any other outcome than a massive arrival in Piedmont. And in this little game, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), winner of the points classification and four stages in 2023, is the favorite. Especially since the Belgian is impressing this season, with a victory at Milan-San Remo and second places at Paris-Roubaix and at the Belgian cycling championships, in particular.
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Behind him, Wout van Aert (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny), who recently beat him to the national title, can also raise their arms in Turin.
