The first duel of the Tour de France sprinters was in the hands of Biniam Girmay. The African Intermarché-Wanty rider managed to win the sprint after a sprint finish in Turin, ahead of Colombian Fernando Gaviria (Movistar Team) and Belgian Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny).
The third day was again very good for Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), who crossed the finish line in fourteenth position and snatched the yellow leader’s jersey from Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates).
The Eritrean sprinter, who made history, took the victory in the longest stage of the 111th edition of the French round, after riding 230.8 kilometers between Piacenza and Torino. The Movistar Team sprinter from Antioquia came in second.
After two demanding and hot days, the sprinters had their first battle. Along the way, there were three fourth-category climbs, but they did not affect the battle for the stage victory, as expected.
The flat segment was controlled by the sprinters’ teams, and only at the end did Frenchman Fabien Grellier (TotalEnergies) try to surprise the peloton, but he was unsuccessful and was quickly neutralized.
The French round will continue this Tuesday already in French territory with its fourth stage, a mountainous part of 139.6 kilometers between Pinerolo and Valloire, which includes three categorized ports, one of special category at the end.
Richard Carapaz, new leader of the Tour de France 2024
Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz made history again this time in the Tour de France by wearing yellow as the new leader of the general classification, becoming the fourth South American to do so after Egan Bernal, Fernando Gaviria and Víctor Hugo Peña.
“This means a lot, it’s a dream to wear yellow. For me, for the team it represents a great joy. We want to celebrate it because in the end it is something very big,” said the ‘Locomotora del Carchi’ as he is known in the cycling world.
The precious jersey went to Carapaz after crossing the finish line in fourteenth position and snatching the yellow leader’s jersey from Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) in the world’s premier stage race.
“In the end we wanted to do the sprint, it was a bit complicated, but fortunately I’ve always been ahead and in the end, well, look at the miracle. Without a doubt my best moment, when I was a kid I watched the Tour and now to be here on the podium is incredible,” added the Ecuadorian.
Likewise, he became the first Latin American cyclist to lead the three grand tours and at the same time the first Ecuadorian to have the privilege of wearing the yellow jersey that distinguishes the leader of the Tour de France.
“We are enjoying the moment. Tomorrow we have a big challenge and we will try to sleep well with a jersey that represents a lot for Latin America and for me,” concluded Carapaz, who will defend the yellow jersey in a mountainous stage between Pinerolo and Valloire.
Tour de France (2.UWT)
Results Stage 3 | Piacenza – Torino (230,8 km)
| 1 | Biniam Girmay | Intermarché – Wanty | 5:26:48 |
| 2 | Fernando Gaviria | Movistar Team | ,, |
| 3 | Arnaud De Lie | Lotto Dstny | ,, |
| 4 | Mads Pedersen | Lidl – Trek | ,, |
| 5 | Dylan Groenewegen | Team Jayco AlUla | ,, |
| 6 | Phil Bauhaus | Bahrain – Victorious | ,, |
| 7 | Fabio Jakobsen | Team dsm-firmenich PostNL | ,, |
| 8 | Davide Ballerini | Astana Qazaqstan Team | ,, |
| 9 | Sam Bennett | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | ,, |
| 10 | Bryan Coquard | Cofidis | ,, |
Ranking General
| 1 | Richard Carapaz | EF Education – EasyPost | 15:20:18 |
| 2 | Tadej Pogacar | UAE Team Emirates | ,, |
| 3 | Remco Evenepoel | Soudal Quick-Step | ,, |
| 4 | Jonas Vingegaard | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | ,, |
| 5 | Romain Bardet | Team dsm-firmenich PostNL | 0:06 |
| 6 | Pello Bilbao | Bahrain – Victorious | 0:21 |
| 7 | Guillaume Martin | Cofidis | ,, |
| 8 | Egan Bernal | INEOS Grenadiers | ,, |
| 9 | Jai Hindley | Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe | ,, |
| 10 | Aleksandr Vlasov | Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe | ,, |
Fuente: Revista Mundo Ciclístico