TOUR DE FRANCE 2024 | STAGE 3 | PLAISANCE > TURIN
TURIN, Italy (July 1, 2024) — At the end of the longest stage on the 2024 Tour de France it was Biniam Girmay (Intermarché – Wanty) who grabbed the win, beating Fernando Gaviria (Movistar Team) to the line in front of the Italian fans. In the frantic sprint in Turin Girmay was too strong for his rivals, just getting the better of Gaviria, with Arnaud de Lie (Lotto-dstny) in third place and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla) completing the top five. Meanwhile it is an amazing moment for Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) as he took control of the Yellow Jersey for the first time in his career.
No breakaway
175 riders took the start on the third day of the 2024 Tour de France with the route covering 230.8 kilometers between Piacenza and Turin, making it the longest in this year’s race. The prospect of a doomed breakaway which would surely be controlled by the sprinters’ teams deterred any serious potential attackers. There was a strange, short excursion from the peloton for five kilometres by Jonas Abrahamsen and Johannes Kulset (Uno-X) early in the stage, but they quickly re-joined the group. The peloton was still all together as the riders completed the first hour of racing at an average speed of 37.3 km/h.
Racking up points
The race visited Tortona (km 70.8) paying homage to one of Italian cycling’s true greats and on the Côte de Tortone – Fausto Coppi (named after the ‘campionissimo’) Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X) added another point to his Mountain classification tally, whilst wearing the green jersey. At the Alexandrie intermediate sprint (km 94.3) Abrahamsen added nine more green jersey points in seventh place, with the sprint won by Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), just ahead of Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) as the fast men tested their legs for the finish in Turin.
Moments in the spotlight
For a local rider on the stage Matteo Sobrero (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) there was a special little win as he went over the Côte de Barbaresco (Cat 4, km 156.1) in first place, with his entire family and fan club there to enjoy the moment. TotalEnergies rider Fabian Grellier accelerated with 66 kilometers to go and left the peloton, going over the Côte de Sommariva Perno (Cat 4, km 181.4) alone with a 40″ advantage at the top of the climb. Grellier was later reeled back in by the bunch with 28km to go, but his efforts were rewarded with the Most Combative rider prize.
An exciting finish in Turin
The fight for stage victory went down to an anticipated bunch sprint at the finish in front of a big crowd in Turin, with Girmay crossing the line first, ahead of Gaviria, De Lie, Pedersen and Groenewegen. There was drama with a big crash 2.3 km from the finish line that affected a dozen riders, among them, the stage favourite Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), whilst his teammate Van der Poel was the victim of costly a late puncture which meant he lost contact with the bunch. Richard Carapaz’ finishing position on the stage puts him in the Yellow Jersey for the first time in a storied career to make it an incredible day for him and the EF Education-EasyPost team. Jonas Abrahamsen meanwhile, maintains ownership of the polka dot and green jerseys.
Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X): “Sometimes You Have to Put on a Show”
“It’s the Tour de France, the biggest race in the world so you have to take whatever you can. I’ve been dreaming about this since I started cycling when I was 14 years-old. It’s so big for me to come here and take the green jersey and the polka dot jersey. I will try to keep it like this as long as possible. Johannes (Kulset) is the youngest rider in the peloton here and he just asked me if we could make some show for TV and I have the green jersey and he’s the youngest rider and I think he loved it. Sometimes you have to put on a show and have some fun. I think it will be hard for me tomorrow, I am 80 kg and there are a lot of hills. Maybe if I get in the breakaway it will be best but I think it will be hard on the first climb. But we will see, hopefully I can keep one of the jerseys after tomorrow.”
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step): “The First Objective Was to Arrive Safely to the Finish”
“It was the first sprint stage of the Tour so everybody knows it’s going to be the most hectic one. The first objective was to arrive safely to the finish which we succeeded in and beside that we were just going to wait and see what the result would bring out and in the end it’s the same situation with another leader but not me. In the end I think we succeeded in staying safe and arriving without any bruises and injuries. Nobody was really interested in the breakaway today I think everybody suffered quite a bit the last two days, so it was the perfect way to have a long recovery ride let’s say. First of all tomorrow I need to stay where I am without losing time on Tadej and Jonas, that’s the main goal. If it’s a sprint finish with a small group for sure I will try, but we will have to see about the breakaway as there’s a big chance that they go again tomorrow. We’ll try to survive and get the best result possible.”
Biniam Girmay (Intermarché – Wanty): “It’s My Time, I’m Very Happy.”
“It’s my time, I’m very happy. Our plan was to aim for this sprint with Gerben Thijssen, either for him or for me. Finally, in the finale I found myself in a good place and I felt like I could go, so I gave it a try for myself. It’s huge because winning the Tour de France means winning in front of the best sprinters. This victory means a lot to me, to my team which has been waiting a long time to win a stage, for my country and also to all of Africa. Now we are really part of the big races. We have a lot victories so it’s our time, it’s our moment. I never cry, but inside I am, I just have no words.”
Richard Carapaz (Ef Education-Easypost): “It Was a Great Job by the Entire Team”
“Honestly, getting the Yellow Jersey is a surprise. Before the Tour, it looked very far away. In the Tour de Suisse I had a crash and then was out of action for a couple of days due to illness. However, yesterday’s stage was a big change in mentality and an injection of confidence. This morning, at the meeting on the bus, we set it as a goal. We knew it would be a nervous and dangerous sprint, but we wanted to do everything we could to get this yellow jersey. My teammates worked phenomenally in the last 25 km; especially Marijn Van der Berg, who sprinted next to me. It was a great job by the entire team. Wearing this Yellow Jersey means a lot for me, for my country and for my team. There are very few Ecuadorian cyclists at the elite level, and every achievement we get helps us develop this sport in our country. On a personal note, this Yellow Jersey is very exciting. In recent years I have spent a lot of time away from home and my family to take another step in my sporting career. It is for them, for my family, that all this effort is worth it. This Yellow Jersey is a reward for all our sacrifice and it’s dedicated to them.”
TOUR DE FRANCE 2024 | STAGE 3 | PLAISANCE > TURIN | DAILY STATS
2: A HISTORIC STAGE WINNER …
Already a history maker for African cycling, Biniam Girmay leaves his mark on the Tour de France as Eritrea becomes the 34th nation to win a stage, and only the second from Africa. Riders from South Africa – Robert Hunter (winner in Montpellier, 2007) and Daryl Impey (winner in Brioude, 2019) – opened the way and Biniam Girmay takes things a step further in Turin.
1: AND A HISTORIC OVERALL LEADER!
Already an Olympic Champion, a Giro winner, a podium finisher in the Tour de France and La Vuelta… Richard Carapaz found a new way to make history as he becomes the first rider from Ecuador to claim the Maillot Jaune of the Tour de France! All of these performances were unprecedented for his country.
68,5: GIRMAY FLIES PAST HIS RIVALS
The first bunch sprint of the Tour de France 2024 delivered chills, thrills and speeds! Biniam Girmay covered the last kilometre at an average of 63.3 km/h… And he hit a top speed of 68.5 km/h to move past Mads Pedersen with 50 metres to go. The Dane had hit a slightly higher top speed (68.7km/h) but he faded on the line.
20: CARAPAZ EXTENDS HIS COLLECTION
Richard Carapaz’s first Maillot Jaune comes after his 14 Maglia Rosa (Giro) and 5 La Roja (Vuelta), which makes 20 Grand Tour leader jerseys for the Ecuadorian climber. In this Tour, Primoz Roglic is the rider with most Grand Tour leader jerseys: 55 (11 in the Tour, 37 in La Vuelta, 7 in the Giro). Mark Cavendish is the other rider participating in the Tour 2024 who has led the overall standings of the three Grand Tours.
26: ECUADOR FOLLOWS SLOVENIA
As Richard Carapaz dons the Maillot Jaune, Ecuador becomes the 26th nation with a rider leading the overall standings of the Tour de France. Frenchmen opened the list in 1903 and they were joined by Belgium in 1904, then Luxembourg (1909)… The latest nation to join the list was Slovenia, when Primoz Roglic rose to power in Laruns during the Tour 2020.
1+1: INTERMARCHÉ-WANTY FOLLOWING THE TRACKS OF ARKÉA-B&B HOTELS
On the day after Arkéa-B&B Hotels took their maiden stage win in the Tour de France, Intermarché-Wanty achieved the same feat! The Belgian team came very close last year when Georg Zimmermann was 2nd in Issoire. Among the teams participating in the Tour 2024, Uno-X Mobility is now the only outfit that has never taken a stage win.
13: FROM HUSHOVD TO CARAPAZ
Tracing back the history of EF Education – EasyPost, they already enjoyed the Maillot Jaune 13 years ago, in 2011. At the time, the team was named Garmin-Cervélo. And they had a world champion, Thor Hushovd, who swapped his rainbow jersey for the Maillot Jaune for seven days (stage 2-8).
+91%: AN EASY START AND A FURIOUS FINISH
With no rider willing to make the break, the peloton had a slow roll out from Piacenza, covering the first 10 kilometres at an average speed of 31.2 km/h. The pace gradually increased until the bunch went all out in Turin. Richard Carapaz thus covered the last 10 kilometres at 59.7 km/h. That’s an increase in speed of 28.5 km/h (+91%)!
6: GAVIRIA, BACK IN THE MIXAN EASY START AND A FURIOUS FINISH
A stage winner on his very first day in the Tour (in 2018, in Fontenay-le-Comte), Fernando Gaviria struck again three days later in Sarzeau… And then he didn’t return to the Tour. For his second participation, he’s already back in the mix, with a place of 2nd in Turin. This is the 4th time the Colombian sprinter finishes in the top-3 of a Tour stage (he was already 2nd in Chartres in 2018).
