After two demanding days, the 3rd stage of the Tour de France ended with a first mass sprint, won by Biniam Girmay, this Monday in Turin. The yellow jersey changes shoulders, instead. Better ranked in this sprint among the first four of the general classification, equal in time, Richard Carapaz, 14th of the stage, takes it from Tadej Pogacar. It is the first time that an Ecuadorian wears yellow on the Tour.
First victory for a rider from sub-Saharan Africa in the Tour de France this Monday in Turin.
Binian Girmay won the first mass sprint of this Tour 2024, at the end of the 3rd stage (231 km). The Eritrean sprinter from the Belgian Intermarché team created a surprise by dominating the Colombian Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) and the Belgian Arnaud De Lie (Lotto) in the final sprint.
Girmay seized his chance as the big favourite in this sprint, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin), green jersey for the best sprinter last year, was eliminated from the game following a fall less than 3 kilometres from the line.
The yellow jersey changed shoulders at the end of this masterful sprint in the Piedmontese city. First overall since the day before and his attack having made Romain Bardet give way on the second climb of San Luca, Tadej Pogacar (UAE) was in turn dispossessed of the yellow jersey by Richard Carapaz (EF Education).
Second French victory in the Tour de France, Pogacar takes the yellow jersey from Bardet
The Tour leader’s jersey was instead decided in this stage between the four riders tied on time since Sunday evening at the top of the standings, namely Pogacar (1st), Evenepoel (2nd), Vingegaard and Carapaz.
It was therefore necessary to sprint hard in the streets of Turin on Monday and in this game Richard Carapaz proved to be the best, finishing 14th in the stage.
The Ecuadorian therefore takes the jersey from “Pogi”, 38th in the stage and now second overall, while the white jersey, Remco Evenepoel (40th at the finish) and Jonas Vingegaard (68th) also fall back one place in the hierarchy, the Belgian from Soudal moving up to 3rd and the Dane from Visma 4th.
A historic day for Eritrea, but also for Ecuador, since Richard Carapaz is the first Ecuadorian rider to wear yellow in the Tour de France, which is in its 111th edition.
At 31, the leader of EF Education enters the exclusive club of riders who have worn the jersey of the three Grand Tours. The yellow of this Monday is added to the 14 pink jerseys already worn on the Giro and to his 5 red jerseys of the Vuelta.
Having arrived in the peloton without incident, in 57th place, Romain Bardet (DSM) remains the first Frenchman in the general classification, still in 5th place, 6 seconds behind the new Yellow Jersey.
After two demanding stages, concluded by French victories, Bardet in Rimini and Vauquelin in Bologna, the much flatter terrain of this 3rd stage (only 1,200 m of positive elevation gain) gave the sprinters a chance.
The riders felt the need to recover a little and during the first part of the day, the peloton, scattered like a puzzle during the weekend, this time rode together at a not too high pace.
Julian Alaphilippe on the final podium of the Tour of Slovakia, in green but not in yellow (video)
There wasn’t even a real candidate to attempt a breakaway before Fabien Grellier’s attack, 66 kilometers from the finish.
The French rider from TotalEnergies was probably waiting for help at the front, which never came. The peloton did not give him more than a minute’s lead before catching up with him with about thirty kilometers to go.
The teams of sprinters then formed up at the front of the peloton, across the entire width of the road, and it became impossible to attempt an escape, as the pace had increased so much.
The final sprint, which had become inevitable, was led right through the centre by Mads Pedersen, but the Dane from Lidl-Trek, winner of the first sprint of the day, at over 75 km/h, was overtaken by three opponents, including the astonishing Girmay, who was there in place of Philipsen.
A complete change of scenery this Tuesday, with the arrival of the Tour in Savoie and the first major climbs in the Alps.
Key figures from the Yellow Jersey Romain Bardet’s Tour de France
The favourites for the general classification will have plenty to explain themselves to each other, between the climb to Sestrières and the Montgenèvre pass, two difficulties classified in the 2nd category, but also and above all on the long slopes of the Galibier (23 km at 5.1%), an unclassified pass, climbing up to 2,627 m above sea level.
Already, on the 4th day, a big battle in perspective between the big guns of the Tour on this short (140 km) but high mountain (3,900 D+) stage. Will Carapaz resist the Slovenian cannibal Pogacar, on a mission on this Grande Boucle to achieve the Giro-Tour double?
Raphael Rochette
