Reluctant with good reason! It’s the day after a time trial and more than a week to a rest day. Would you really risk a good classification place or later stage wins this early, attacking on a hillside crit circuit that the breakaway has maybe 1% chance of winning? Be serious.
- A circuit like this, like any punchy finish, is a perfect place to attack if one is afraid of losing GC: losing GC won't happen. One can pick one's distance for attacking, and if it fails, one may recover or attack anew when it comes back again. Even if one blows up, gaps won't be big.
- There aren't only GC leaders in the race, there are punchers who don't give a damn about classification and who won't be served many suitable profiles this year.
- Last year, both punchers and GC leaders did use punchers stages. There were attacks by Visma lieutenants and even a bit Vingegaard as soon as stage #2. Pog and Ving attacked and created splits in the punchy finish as soon as stage #4, the day before the ITT. It was just an attack 6 km from the goal, but still better than yesterday.
- I've heard of Time Trial 'blocking' the race for a couple of days before the TT, but blocking it for a few days after the TT would be a first ;)
Stage 3, Monday 6
Everyone wanted to be in the breakaway, so it took long to develop. It wasn't allowed more than the modern standard gap. The UAE pulled the peloton, and Pogatchar won the sprint.
There were a few crashes (notably Armirail after about 12 km). Poor De Lie was dropped since the start, as it was a succession of strong uphill false flats; he fought all day, but withdrew just a few miles from the line, as he had no chance to make it in time any more after suffering all day long: eliminating badly ill or injured riders is the only thing that modern delays 'achieve' on modern GTs 😢