Volta Ciclista a Catalunya 2024 – Stage 3 Preview
It was the Pogacar show today, and we couldn’t see much of it. Tomorrow, the show may continue.
Route
One of the most decisive days here. Port Ainé is not an easy climb.

The riders are now just southwest of Andorra. This is likely a training climb for a few of them.

It is a climb that has been used in prior editions. In 2021, Chaves took the stage win here. It was not very selective that year. If I recall correctly, INEOS had a firm grip on the race and simply couldn’t reach Chaves who attacked 7 kilometers out. Plus, he wasn’t a threat to the GC.

It takes 47 minutes.
Weather
Warmer than today and we shouldn’t see any rain. I note a tailwind on the climb too.

Contenders
Pogacar – winner.
Landa – I’d imagine he will be the best of the rest again tomorrow. Podium contender.
Vlasov – we go beyond the mythical 30 minutes. He wasn’t far from cracking today. Yet, he won on La Madone d’Utelle in Paris-Nice. I think a top-5 is reasonable.
Uijtdebroecks – let’s see if does bounce back tomorrow. Long climbs are his playground.
Martinez – lack of experience. Hopefully, he is a quick learner. As a school teacher, I can tell you it isn’t for certain. I’d imagine he can top-5 again tomorrow, as he is a pure climber.
Bernal – he keeps on fighting. He had problems on the longer climbs in Paris-Nice, I can’t imagine he will have improved much by tomorrow. A top-10.
Mas – a positive sign. He got back late, it shows a lovely fighting spirit. I’d imagine he can top-10 again tomorrow.
Kuss – I guess I had something right. The rain isn’t his best friend. Tomorrow, everything can change for him. On paper, he may be the closest rival to Pogacar.
S. Yates – he doesn’t fancy rain. I told you. I’d imagine he does better tomorrow, a top-5.
Woods – I had him down as a name yesterday. He has done better in the past in cold conditions. Maybe he was held up in the crash, he isn’t well-known for his positioning afterall. He has the KOM record on Strava, it should count for something tomorrow.
Who will win?
No gifts tomorrow, Pogacar should smoke them again.