Stage 3 | Monday, 8 May | Vasto - Melfi | 213 kilometres
After the 201 kilometres of the previous day, the third stage will once again exceed the 200-kilometre mark. This will be the case seven times over the course of the tour.
The 213 kilometres of stage 3 are initially mostly flat. The course continues south along the Adriatic Sea for the first third before turning inland. But it is only after 170 kilometres that the first topographical hurdles await the riders. A category 3 climb with a gradient of 6.5 per cent and a length of just over six kilometres precedes a short descent before the second climb of the day (category 4), which is somewhat steeper but significantly shorter.
From the summit of the highest point at 858 metres, there are still around 25 kilometres to the finish, the last ten of which are slightly uphill on average. However, only the 350 metre long home straight, which has a gradient of around five per cent, will be a real challenge.
Sporting assessment of the 3rd stage
If it's not the two climbs 25 kilometres before the finish that are too much for the classic sprinters, then perhaps it's the not insignificant uphill finish straight. Candidates for these conditions include former world champion Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) especially Michael Matthews (Team Jayco-AlUla) and Davide Ballerini (Soudal - Quick Step). In addition, three sharp bends in the last 1000 metres require good positioning, which should also play into the hands of the three experienced warhorses, as no team is travelling to Italy with a real sprint train.
But perhaps it's not the fast men who end up fighting for victory, but a few breakaway riders who can still draw on their full reserves of strength at the start of the tour and can hold on tenaciously in front of a field full of favourites, as was recently the case at Eschborn-Frankfurt. A breakaway group, which still has a lead of one and a half minutes after the climbs, could also decide the victory among themselves.
Schedule, TV coverage & live stream of stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia 2023
The peloton will have to cover almost ten neutralised kilometres from 11:45 a.m. onwards, before hitting the sharp course at exactly midday. The organisers are expecting an average speed of between 39 and 43 km/h. This means that the pros would finish between 16:57 and 17:28.
Eurosport is broadcasting all stages of the Giro d'Italia. On TV, the 3rd stage will be shown free-to-air on Eurosport 1 from 11.30 am. Including post-stage coverage, the broadcast will run until 17:45. The paid providers GCN+ and Discovery+ will also be showing a live stream on the internet from 11.30am.
Giro d'Italia 2023 - Stage 3: The most important information at a glance
- Flat stage with hilly finish over 213 kilometres
- Start of the stage: 11:45 am
- Estimated arrival time: between 16:59 and 17:26
- TV broadcast: 11:30 - 17:45 Eurosport 1
- Live stream: GCN+ and Discovery+ from 11:30 a.m.
