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
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Best indoor cycling shoes 2025: Fast and cool shoes for indoor cycling
The best indoor cycling shoes need to be adjustable, feature lots of ventilation and deliver plemty of pedal power, here's our favorites options -
'Hard work ahead, as relentless as training' - Payson McElveen diagnosed with hip fracture after Sea Otter crash
US gravel racer looks past Unbound and optimistic for backloaded season and final four events in the Life Time Grand Prix -
How to watch Flèche Wallonne 2025 – Live streams, TV coverage
All the broadcast information for the second of the three Ardennes Classics for both men and women -
18-year-old Paul Seixas claims third after aggressive Tour of the Alps stage 1 performance
'I have the level to maybe win a stage' says French teenager as teammate Gall second in Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 2-3