Tour de France 2025 – Stage 3 Preview
What an exciting start this year. Echelons and a mur stage. Double-up for Alpecin – Deceuninck, can they make it a hattrick tomorrow?
Route
The flattest stage in terms of climbing meters (excluding the ITTs). From Valenciennes to Dunkurque. Another day heading to the coast from where they’ve more or less just arrived.
Weather
Another day with strong winds. On stage 3, it will blow from the north. That means a crosswind until 65 km left, before it turns in to a strong headwind. It will rain at the start but as they progress the weather should get better. The wind is blowing 7 m/s / 28 km/h.
That is enough for echelons but with a long headwind in the last 60 km, the chances are slim.
Finale
It is perhaps the safest finale I’ve seen in a long time. 3800m out a slight narrowing, only passable on the right side of the road furniture. Train railway crossing with 2000m left. Then the important right hand turn with 1600m left. It is a double-lane turn turning into a single-lane road. Here things will get strung out but the road widens up shortly after.
Now, it is possible the roadbook is wrong. Likely it isn’t, but with 500m left, there are a bunch of road furniture on Veloviewer. I hope the organizers have thought of a way to remove it, otherwise the roadbook shouldn’t suggest it doesn’t exist. Then twisty towards the line.
It bends towards the left in the last 200 meters. Therefore, the best approach is to just open up a small gap on the inside for your sprinter. That is the shortest path to the line. It is a headwind sprint too.
Contenders
Philipsen – we haven’t been able to compare Alpecin – Deceuninck to much yet, but they’ve got things working out for them. Phillipsen was bike lengths faster than Girmay and Wærenskjold on the first stage, and MvdP just did brilliant as a lead-out. When it comes to sprinters, morale is everything. He was 27th today, the legs are great.
Merlier – not the start they wished for. I’ve not been very impressed when it comes to their ability to position themselves. Honestly, I think having a short sprint train tomorrow is good. As it will be quite hectic in the last 1600 meter, with multiple not-so-sharp-bends, it is possible for him and Van Lerberghe to move up. They just need to be well positioned before hand and I think that is an issue for the team, unless Evenepoel decides to join in.
Milan – an angry Italian. They long train should make sure they do well, they can even add Simmons as their fifth rider. They are the only team, in my book, that can challenge Alpecin-Deceuninck. But do they have the speed to do so? I think Consonni and Theuns can.
Girmay – he is showing great speed, and more importantly, great timing. With a headwind sprint that is a good quality. He is still chasing the first win of the season. I think he will challenge for the win.
Meeus – he has Danny van Poppel. That is one strong argument.
Wærenskjold – with a long lead-out train and a cohesive team, this is a good chance for Søren. I think we will see them challenging for the podium.
Everything points towards another victory for Alpecin-Deceuninck. A win for Philipsen.
