Tirreno-Adriatico stage 3 Live - Late climb could throw up drama in the GC fight

Attack!

Alessandro Tonelli (Polti-VisitMalta)
Dries De Bondt (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale)

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) wins the intermediate sprint ahead of Tim van Dijke (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).

70km to go

The pace will likely pick up very soon for the intermediate sprint with 2km to go until that with three, two and one bonus seconds available. 

3km to go until the intermediate sprint and Ineos Grenadiers have moved Ganna back towards the front. 

The conditions are absolutely horrific. 

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) himself now moves to the front and started setting a hard tempo with just under 10km to the intermediate sprint. 

Attack!

Dries De Bondt (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale)

He is joined by a long list of riders and they're going nowhere. They basically just want to get warm and go at a faster pace. 

80km to go

No team is working specifically on the front now. Dries De Bondt (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) is trying to tell riders to go faster. 

Multiple new teams have come to the front of the peloton, replacing Ineos Grenadiers. The two main teams up at the front are XDS-Astana and Lidl-Trek.

We're at that bunny-hopping over a stray bidon in the pouring rain point of insanity on this very slow day in wet wet Italy...

100km to go

Riders taking the opportunity for a natural break. 

Just under 40km to go to the intermediate sprint in Castel del Piano. This is now very important for the GC as all three, two and one bonus second(s) are available to take. 

I don't think this is exactly how Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) pictured spending his 25th birthday...

Ineos Grenadiers have dramatically upped the pace with small splits forming in the pouring rain. The temperature has dropped to around seven degrees centigrade. 115km to go. 

The virtual KoM standings:

1. Davide Bais (ITA) Polti-VisitMalta 11pts
2. Lorenzo Conforti (ITA) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane 10pts
3. Alessandro Tonelli (ITA) Polti-VisitMalta 5pts
4. Manuele Tarozzi (ITA) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane 5pts
5. Salvatore Puccio (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers 1pt
6. Stevan Kruijswijk (NED) Visma-Lease a Bike 1pt

KoM Sprint (La Foce)

1. Lorenzo Conforti (ITA) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane 5pts
2. Davide Bais (ITA) Polti-VisitMalta 3pts
3. Alessandro Tontelli (ITA) Polti-VisitMalta 2pts
4. Manuele Tarozzi (ITA) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane 1pt

The riders are still on the second climb of the day as the pace gets even slower with the average speed dropping to 34.9kph. 

The weather continues to be extremely unpleasant for the riders...

130km to go

Three hours of racing and they have averaged 36.1kph today in the pouring rain. 

The riders have started the second climb of the day, La Foce. This climb is 5.2km long with a reported average gradient of 4.6%. 

With the breakaway caught, this should set up a battle royale for the next KoM sprint with both Bais and Tarozzi likely being involved. Likewise Conforti and Tonelli who also are involved in the battle for green. 

Breakaway caught

Suddenly, Davide Bais (Polti-VisitMalta) and Lorenzo Conforti (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane) decide that they have had enough of being in the break and allow the peloton to catch them. 

The race is all together again just 15km from the next climb, La Foce. 

The breakaway's time gap has just taken a dive and is now sat just over two minutes between them and the peloton. 

150km to go

At the bottom of the Passo del Lume Spento descent the break's new gap back to the peloton now sits at just over three minutes as the rain continues to fall. 

KoM Sprint (Passo del Lume Spento)

1. Lorenzo Conforti (ITA) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane 5pts
2. Davide Bais (ITA) Polti-VisitMalta 3pts
3. Manuele Tarozzi (ITA) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane 2pts
4. Salvatore Puccio (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers 1pt

The weather has really taken a turn for the worst out in Italy...

Lorenzo Conforti wins the first KoM sprint ahead of mountain jersey wearer, Davide Bais. 

Abandon

Hugo Houle (Israel-Premier Tech)

The Canadian rider becomes the second rider from the team to abandon today's stage, leaving them with just five riders. 

The break are now close to the top of the first categorised climb of the day with the green KoM jersey of Davide Bais being the favourite to take maximum points, 

However, Lorenzo Conforti is no slouch and will put up a fight as the two Pro Continental teams of Polti-VisitMalta and VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane battle it out. 

Crash!

Hugo Houle (Israel-Premier Tech)

This day is going from bad to worse for the Israeli registered team. 

Abandon

Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech)

The German sprinter has had to leave the race. He wasn't in the mix for the win yesterday, finishing 41st on the day. 

His torrid time of things seems to be continuing into 2025 after also not being involved in any sprints at his first race of the season, the Tour de la Provence as well. 

170km to go

For now, the time gap is said to be stable at around six minutes between the breakaway and the peloton as they are now both on the Passo del Lume Spento. 

It is a rather damp day on the bike for the riders with the temperatures being around 12 to 14 degrees centigrade. 

The time gap has apparently ballooned to over six minutes between the breakaway of Lorenzo Conforti (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane) and Davide Bais (Polti-VisitMalta) and the Ineos Grenadiers led peloton. 

The breakaway have started the Passo del Lume Spento. 

180km to go

The gap up to Bais and Conforti has gone back up to 4'55" as they near the bottom of the first climb of the day. 

In the peloton it is the team of the leader, Filippo Ganna, leading the way. He has almost all of his Ineos Grenadier teammates in front of him with their man for the GC, Laurens De Plus, behind him. 

The break are just under 30km to go until the first categorised climb of the day, the Passo del Lume Spento. 

Over an hour of racing down so far with the average speed being at 37kph. It has not been a fast one. In fact, this is slower than yesterday and that was almost a record for being so far behind the race schedule. 

200km to go

Conforti and Bais have just over four minutes on the chasing peloton. 

One potential winner today is celebrating his 25th birthday. Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) is the birthday boy. The winner of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad comes into this race with mixed form but he is 8th in GC just +37" down. 

Davide Bais (Polti-VisitMalta) leads the KoM standings with five points ahead of teammate Alessandro Tonelli (Polti-VisitMalta) on three points then Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane) on two and Steven Kruijswijk (Visma-Lease a Bike) on one. Can Lorenzo Conforti (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane) challenge him for the points today?

The break are currently starting a reasonably sized uncategorised climb. Their gap over the peloton has grown again to 4'15" and is continuing to expand. 

Coming into this stage, Davide Bais (Polti-VisitMalta) was +1'39" down on Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) in the general classification. 

Lorenzo Conforti (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane) started the day at +2'00" down in the GC. 

220km to go

Davide Bais and Lorenzo Conforti have a gap of 3'20" over the peloton now and it continue to grow as they head to the first climb of the day, the Passo del Lume Spento, which is just over 50km away. 

Jerseys going into stage three:

Blue general classification leader - Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers)
Purple points classification leader - Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
Green mountains classification leader - Davide Bais (Polti-VisitMalta)
White youung rider classification leader - Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)*

*Worn by - Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

It was starting to rain in Follonica just after the riders left. If the pace is high the riders mat be able to avoid it in the tailwind but who will do the chasing. 

This was the big topic at the start with Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) and Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep) expected to have a go for the win today. 

Bais and Conforti are pulling out an early gap of 50" and it is increasing. 

Attack!

Davide Bais (Polti-VisitMalta)
Lorenzo Conforti (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè)

239km to go

The official start has been given and racing begins for stage three of Tirreno-Adriatico 2025!

Several riders out of the race so far:

Alberto Bettiol (XDS-Astana) DNS S3
Robbe Ghys (Alpecin-Deceuninck) DNS S3
Xabier Mikel  Azparren (Q36.5) DNS S3
David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) DNF S2
MIchael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost) DNF S2
Tom Paquot (Intermarche-Wanty) DNF S2
James Shaw (EF Education-EasyPost) DNS S1
Louis Barré (Intermarche-Wanty) DNS S1

Neutral start

The riders have started the neutralised zone of the stage. This section is 6.9km long as they leave Follonica. 

Sign-on has been completed by all the riders. Could thiis man, Alex Aranburu (Cofidis), be involved in the fight for the stage win later today?

And we saw it get it's debut yesterday, but Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) has been given a fancy new bike... Will it help him to victory today?

>>> Mathieu van der Poel's bike: A custom painted, special edition Canyon Aeroad 

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) remains humble and talks down claims that he is now the best sprinter on the planet...

>>> 'I don't consider myself the best sprinter in the world' - Jonathan Milan is modest but not scared of major rival Tim Merlier 

In the news room this morning... Filippo Ganna is keen to get Ineos Grenadiers back to the top of the sport after they have a good start to the season...

>>> 'We've got to get back to being the great Ineos team we once were' - Filippo Ganna leads Ineos Grenadiers fight back from the front 

Today's stage is the longest of the race with 239km of racing on the menu between yesterday's finish town of Follonica and Colfiorito with a late climb topping out with just under 4km to go. 

Hello and welcome to the CyclingNews live page for stage three of Tirreno-Adriatico 2025.