Stage 3 | Tuesday, 13 June | Tafers - Villars-sur-Ollon | 143.8 kilometres
Stage 3 starts south of Bern in Tafers. The route also heads south towards the Swiss Alps, after completing a 26-kilometre loop around the starting point with an additional passage of the starting town, as on the previous day. However, it only gets really exciting after 100 kilometres. There, the riders are already on the climb to the Col des Mosses (1st category), the summit of which is reached after 110 kilometres. The double bonus sprint is taken on a pedestal in the mountain.
After the descent from the Col des Mosses, Aigle is reached - the headquarters of the International Cycling Union (UCI). After a few kilometres in the Rhone valley, the intermediate sprint is reached, then it's on to the almost ten-kilometre-long final climb to Villars-sur-Ollon. With an average gradient of 7.8 per cent and an altitude difference of 760 metres, this is also a 1st category climb.
Sporting assessment of the 3rd stage
The first of two mountain finishes in the Tour de Suisse 2023 will immediately put the classement riders on the map, as there is no better place to make up time than on stages that climb in the final kilometres. It will be particularly decisive for those GC contenders who see their strengths more in the mountains than in the battle against the clock. Because that's where Remco Evenepoel (Soudal - Quick Step) cannot be beaten by his direct competitors. If at all, then on the mountain top finishes.
And so for Pello Bilbao in particular (Bahrain-Victorious), Sergio Higuita (Bora-Hansgrohe), Romain Bardet (Team DSM) and Rigoberto Uran (EF Education EasyPost) there is a need to make up time on Evenepoel and the candidates who are doing better against the clock in the overall standings.
Schedule, TV coverage & live stream of stage 3 of the Tour de Suisse 2023
The stage starts at 13:40. With expected average speeds of 38 to 42 km/h, the riders should arrive in Villars-sur-Ollon between 17:09 and 17:31.
The Tour de Suisse will not be shown on German television. In Switzerland, however, the channel SRF2 will broadcast the second stage live from 3.25 pm. The paid live streams from GCN+, Discovery+ and thus also Eurosport will start five minutes earlier.
Tour de Suisse - Stage 3: The most important information at a glance
- Mid-mountain stage with mountain finish over 143.8 kilometres
- Start of the stage: 13:40
- Estimated arrival time: between 17:09 and 17:31
- TV broadcast: in Switzerland on SRF2 from 15:25
- Live stream: GCN+, Discovery+ and Eurosport from 15:20
