Tirreno-Adriatico: Andrea Vendrame beats Tom Pidcock to stage 3 victory

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A well-timed late acceleration in a small group sprint saw Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) clinch a rain-soaked hilly stage 3 of Tirreno-Adriatico ahead of Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) and Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ).

The first GC road stage of the 2025 race from Follonica to Colfiorito boiled down to some late attacks on a lengthy HC climb peaking out close to the finish, with race leader Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) coming under fire from various rivals but responding perfectly.

Ganna then opted to try for a second stage win in three days with a very dangerous late attack once the race had passed the summit, but his time-trialling move was closed down by Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck).

Very active on the final climb, Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) then made a last-ditch attempt to take the win, only for Vendrame to power past him within sight of the finishing gantry, and claim his first victory since a third-week mountain stage of the Giro d'Italia last year.

"This was a very hard stage, first because of the length and the weather but also because of the overall situation," Vendrame said as he celebrated Italy's third win in as many days in Tirreno. 

"It was really cold and rainy, my teammate Johannes [Staune-Mittet] who's fighting for GC crashed and went down, I hope he's ok."

"Then in the final I knew I had a good burst of speed and the form was good, so I could get the win.

"I had had this stage as a possible one for me, but only in part. My director told me I could go for the sprint today and he was right."

Earlier on in the day, stage 2 winner and another potential contender for a small group sprint Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) fell heavily on a wet bend shortly before the final ascent, and lost several minutes.

How it unfolded

The 239 kilometre stage, the longest of this year's edition, looked bound to provide at least some minor GC shakeups given its very hilly profile as well as the distance. Key challenges including the Passo del Lume Spento, an interminable cat. 2 grind a third of the way through, as well as the final Valico de Colfiorito, rated HC because of its daunting 18.4 kilometres of climbing rather than its comparatively gentle, well-surfaced gradient of just 3%. 

Stage 3 had three non-starters including former Tour of Flanders winner Alberto Bettiol (XDS-Astana), but despite the grim weather it still got off to a fast start nonetheless for repeat breakaway artist Davide Bais (Polti-VisitMalta) and compatriot Lorenzo Conforti (VF-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) who took off at the gun. The rest of the bunch, wary of their fast-looming first major encounter with the climbs as well as the relentlessly soggy conditions, eased back notably and let the two Italians get on with it, opening up a gap of four minutes in no time at all.

The two made it as far as the Lume Spento pass, but as the rain teemed down the lights then went out on the break shortly afterwards, and the peloton ground onwards through the miserable weather all together and without any further movement for nearly an hour. The pack then squelched its rain-soaked way over a second, much shorter classified climb, La Foce, and into the final 100 kilometres with no significant developments.

66 kilometres from the finish, an attack by Dries de Bondt (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and Andrea Pietrobon (Polti-VisitMalta) gained significant time and forced Ineos Grenadiers back on the chase. De Bondt, with a GC time loss of 1:06 before the stage was the most dangerous threat, but Pietrobon, at 1:28 was not far behind, either.

A major crash in the back half of the bunch at 23 kilometres to go on a rain-soaked left-hand bend saw Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) fall heavily, losing his front wheel, but did not cause the main pursuit to slow. Fortunately the Italian sprinter could continue racing after several minutes, albeit well behind and losing even more time – but determined to remain in the race, nonetheless.

At the foot of the Valico and as the road gradually steepened, Ineos continued to drive hard at the head of the peloton to keep Ganna in the driving seat, with at least 60 or 70 riders following in their wake. The British team's concerted pace reduced the duo's lead to just over 90 seconds for the two leaders at 16kms from the finish, and it continued to fall steadily from thereon.

As the race wound up the long valley road, Mathieu van der Poel ordered his Alpecin-Deceuninck troops to add their support to Ineos control. Pietrobon attempted to stay clear when De Bondt was the first to crack. Finally with nine kilometres to the finish Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) opened up the first of the GC hostilities, roaring past the Italian breakaway as Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) countered. 

Healy's brief sally was followed by a much more serious acceleration by teammate Richard Carapaz, shadowed by Van der Poel and race leader Ganna, only for a promising GC move of nine or 10 riders to quickly absorbed by a much bigger pursuing pack. Laurens De Plus then began to set down a steadier pace, but his teammate Ganna's quiet display of power, chasing down many of the moves in person then slotting himself in second behind the Belgian, was an even more impressive deterrent for his rivals. Healy made another determined effort over the summit of the Valico at four km to go, lining out the peloton, yet the gentle broad descent, the Irishman was sucked in again.

Ganna himself then opted for a devastating acceleration with three kilometres to go, opening up a gap of some five seconds as the peloton hesitated. Ayuso charged along behind in hot pursuit, followed by Uno-X Mobility, and on a slight rise leading to the last kilometre Van der Poel chased the Italian down in person. There was still time for Healy, yet again, to make another sustained acceleration, but his move proved to be a little too early as the road steepened briefly but perceptibly, with Vendrame opting to bolt for the line just as the bunch crested a last sharp little rise. Pidcock was quick enough to follow him, with Grégoire in hot pursuit, but neither could match Vendrame's late burst of power to a first victory of 2025 ahead of the Briton and Frenchman.

Although various statements of GC intent have been made, then, ultimately Ganna is now looking set to hold his 22-second lead over Ayuso for at least another day, given stage 4's much shorter 190 kilometre leg from Norcia to Trasacco returns the Tirreno peloton to much easier terrain, and likely a full bunch sprint. After that, though, stage 5's hillier finale could well see more GC skirmishing before Saturday's showdown in the Apennines.

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