Stage 3: May 10 2010 - Amsterdam - Middelburg 224 km
Crosswind chaos
Run parallel to the North Sea, this looks a simple stage on a benign day but could cause unexpected problems if the wind gets up. If it is blowing, the sprinters and overall contenders will be doubly determined to stay at the front of the peloton. This will bring out the elbows as they all battle for the same places on the road.
After the stage the riders will be flown 1,000km to Turin for a rest day. Most of them would have undoubtedly appreciated taking a day off further into a race that gets steadily tougher all the way to its spectacularly hard finish.
Procycling's favourite to win:
With Mark Cavendish at the concurrent Tour of California, André Greipel will be HTC-Columbia's man for the sprinter's crown. Lampre's Alessandro Petacchi is likely to be his main rival, with Garmin's Tyler Farrar a dark horse, but it will be hard to derail the relentless Columbia train at full steam.
Pozzato says:
Stage Details
Distance: 224km
Vertical climb: 20m
Highest point: 9m
Terrain: Flat
Category: Road Stage
Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets
After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59
Join now for unlimited access
Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Most Popular
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Women's WorldTour – The definitive guide for 2024
Everything you need to know about the professional racing series teams, points, races and standings -
USA Cycling lifts team rule, allows 27 former NCL riders in Pro Road Nationals
Governing body gives a lifeline to male riders left without teams following collapse of National Cycling League -
Lotte Kopecky to skip Tour de France Femmes after Olympics, SD Worx confirm
World Champion will finish Omnium one day before start in Rotterdam