Vuelta a España stage 3 live - Evenepoel out-sprints Vingegaard in Arinsal

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Belgian crashes after stage as GC battle simmers

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Welcome to live coverage of stage 3 of the Vuelta a España,158.5km from Súria to Arinsal in Andorra for the first summit finish of the race.

After a fraught opening weekend in Barcelona, Andrea Piccolo (EF Education-EasyPost) leads the Vuelta a España, but the complexion of the race could alter considerably this afternoon, with two category 1 climbs on the agenda. The Coll d'Ordino is followed by the summit finish at Arinsal.

General classification after stage 2

The peloton rolls out of Súria at 13.15 local time, with the race scheduled to hit kilometre zero at 13.27.

Alasdair Fotheringham is on the Vuelta for Cyclingnews and he has written this excellent preview of today's stage, with insight on the climb of Arinsal from local resident Nathan Haas. "How hard is it? Put it this way, this is one of the climbs I’ll avoid in training if I’m not having a good day,” Haas, ex-road pro and now a stalwart of the gravel scene for Colnago, told Cyclingnews. “We’re going to see a very selective race immediately on this stage. For a Grand Tour stage 3 to have a day like this takes away any chance of a random person slipping into the lead later in the week. It’s absolutely a GC day.” Read more here.

After the farce of Saturday evening's team time trial in the dark, the decision was taken to stop the clock for GC 9km from the finish of yesterday's stage in Barcelona. "Today the organisers did the right thing, it was very slippy and this was a skating rink. If we’d gone all the way to the finish it would have been really dangerous," Juan Ayuso said afterwards. Alasdair Fotheringham has the full story here.

Today's stage is one of two parts. The relatively flat opening after the start in Suria allows an early break to steal a march on the peloton. The two category 1 ascents in the finale will see the GC men spring into action. First up is the Coll d'Ordino (17.3km at 7.7%), whose summit comes 21km from the finish. It's followed in rapid succession by the haul to the finish at Arinsal (8.3km at 7.7%).

The peloton is currently navigating the neutralised zone ahead of the official start. There are no non-starters to report, with 174 riders still in the race. Laurens De Plus (Ineos) crashed out in the opening team time trial, while Oscar Onley (DSM) abandoned after a fall yesterday.

-158km

Not surprisingly, it's been a most rapid start to proceedings, with the speed well in excess of 50kph through these opening kilometres, but a break has yet to establish itself.

Andrea Piccolo

Andrea Piccolo reports for duty in the maillot rojo. (Image credit: Getty Images)

-150km

And Bernard, Janssens and Goossens are duly pinned back by the peloton.

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Getty

Juan Ayuso and Remco Evenepoel before the start. (Image credit: Getty Images)

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The flurry of attack and counter-attack continues, but a break has yet to establish itself. Sepulveda is now dangling off the front of the race alone, but the Argentinian surely won't stay there for long without company.

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It finally looks as though we have our break, even if none of the GC teams will be too eager to allow Damiano Caruso - just 23 seconds down - too much leeway. Lennard Kamna, 41 seconds off red, is another danger man. 

The intensity in the peloton has abated considerably and the nine leaders are stretching out their advantage accordingly. The gap is yawning out towards the two-minute mark. Mathis Le Berre (Arkea-Samsic) and Jose Manuel Diaz (Burgos-BH), meanwhile, are giving chase in the no man's land between the break and the peloton. 

-108km

The EF Education-EasyPost team of maillot rojo Andrea Piccolo are are policing matters at the head of the peloton. Damiano Caruso is, of course, the virtual race leader. 

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Vuelta a Espana

Damiano Caruso leads the break on stage 3 of the Vuelta a Espana. (Image credit: Getty Images)

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Remco Evenepoel

Remco Evenepoel (Image credit: Getty Images)

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The eleven leaders continue to collaborate on the long drag towards the foot of the Coll d'Ordino, which begins with 39km to race. 4:20 the gap to the bunch.

Andrea Piccolo

(Image credit: Getty Images)

-70km

Break:

Jumbo-Visma, Ineos and Soudal-QuickStep are all content to collaborate and police the peloton for the time being, and their working agreement is keeping this break's advantage under control.

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Dylan van Baarle rides at the head of the peloton for Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vinegaard, 3:42 down on the escapees. 

Michel Hessmann

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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Pierre Latour and Andrea Vendrame are dropped by that acceleration. Caruso comes though with a searing turn of his own, and the Sicilian has brought three riders with him...

Four riders at the fron with a small lead over the rest of the break: Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious), Jon Barrenetxea (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Eduardo Sepúlveda (Lotto-Dstny) and Lennard Kämna (Bora-Hansgrohe). 

Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Lidl-Trek) has battled his way back up to Caruso et al, making it a group of five at the front. Meanwhile, Jumbo-Visma look to be assuming the position at the head of the bunch, 2:18 down the road.

-30km

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It's interesting to see DSM take up the reins in the bunch on behalf of Romain Bardet, who is just 13 seconds off the overall lead. Delegations from Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-QuickStep are lined up behind them.

Ghebreigzabhier has lost touch with the front group, and as Caruso pushes on the pace, only Kämna and Sepúlveda can follow him. This trio has 2:15 in hand on the peloton.

Damiano Caruso is a man on a mission as he continues to set the pace at the head of the race, with Kamna and Sepulveda on his wheel. The Sicilian's efforts are keeping the escapees 2:12 clear of the DSM-led peloton.

-26km

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Caruso, Sepulveda and Kamna are exchanging turns at the front, where the gradient has eased slightly ahead of the final kick up towards the summit, still 3km away. DSM continue to lead the bunch, on behalf of Bardet and, perhaps, Max Poole.

-24.5km

Andrea Piccolo's spell in the red jersey will be a short-lived one. The Italian is distanced after Vine's cameo...

-23km

Wilco Kelderman (Jumbo-Visma) bridges across to Bardet but, to the Frenchman's annoyance, he isn't minded to come through and give him a turn. Soudal-QuickStep lead the chase in the bunch.

-22km

Bardet hasn't desisted and he's picking off the remnants of the break with Kelderman stuck tightly to his wheel.

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Lennard Kämna (Bora-Hansgrohe), Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) and Eduardo Sepúlveda (Lotto-Dstny) picked up 3, 2 and 1 seconds in time bonuses over the top of the Ordino, incidentally. Caruso remains the virtual maillot rojo, but the group of favourites is closing rapidly.

There are flecks of rain falling on this descent, and caution will be the byword for the peloton as they drop towards the base of the final haul up Arinsal.

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Soudal-QuickStep's Louis Vervaeke leads the chasers towards the base of the final climb to Arinsal (8.3km at 7.7%).

-8.5km

Caruso and Kamna look to have definitively distanced Sepulveda. The leading pair have the aptitude for a climb like this, but their lead of 1:19 might not be enough to fend off a bunch like this, particularly if Jumbo-Visma wind up the pace for Roglic as they have done so often in the past.

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Vine is gradually dialling up the pace and riders are beginning to suffer a tthe rear of this group. Evenepoel and, inevitably, Vingegaard look to be pedallign smoothly. Roglic is a little further back, though he doesn't look in any distress.

-3km

Geraint Thomas has slipped towards the back of the group of favourites, which is now 20 or so riders strong. The Welshman is still on board, but his positioning is not ideal for if - when? - the group breaks up nearer the summit.

Jay Vine continues his pace-making, with Ayuso and a big delegation of Jumbo-Visma riders queued up on his wheel. 

Lennard Kämna is alone in front, but the Vine-led group of favourites is closing so rapidly on the 13% slopes. Caruso, virtual leader for much of the day, has been caught.. 

Here it comes... Juan Ayuso accelerates with 2.3km to go. Vingegaard comes with him, followed by Roglic and Kuss and a handful of others...

When Ayuso stalls, Sepp Kuss attacks and opens a gap. The rest of the favourites have caught back up to Vingegaard and Roglic.

It's a rasping acceleration from Sepp Kuss, who is now closing to within touhcing distance of Lennard Kämna. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) has somehow scrambled up to Kuss.

-1km

Marc Soler takes a flyer but he is caught by a small group containing Mas, Evenepoel, Roglic, Vingegaard, Ayuso, Almeida, Vlasov and Kuss. Geraint Thomas is a notable absentee from this elite group...

Sepp Kuss leads a group of a dozen or so riders into the final 500m. These look set to be the heads of state of this Vuelta. The stage looks set for Roglic but Evenepoel kicks from distance...

Vingegaard goes in pursuit of Evenepoel but the Belgian champion won't be denied...

Evenepoel kicks again and this looks like stage victory.

Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) wins stage 3 of the Vuelta a España

Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) took second place in the sprint. 

And Remco Evenepoel has crashed past the finish line and recieved a cut to his eyebrow. The Belgian is quickly back on his feet, and while there is a lot of blood, he doesn't seem to be in any distress.

Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) was third on the stage, while Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) took fourth.

Remco Evenepoel has also taken hold of the red jersey, 5 seconds ahead of Enric Mas and 11 up on the impressive Lenny Martinez, who came home in the front group today. 

Result

General classification

Remco Evenepoel

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Geraint Thomas, incidentally, lost 47 seconds today, and the Welshman is already 1:11 behind Evenepoel in the overall standings. 

Remco Evenepoel

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Remco Evenepoel begins his post-race flash interview by decrying the crash he suffered beyond the finish line: "Again, some things of safety. It was only 50 metres after the finish line, and it’s the third day in a row and it’s a bit breaking my balls now."

A full report, results and pictures from today's stage are available here.

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