Tour de France 2023 - Stage 3 preview
Monday, July 3, 2023: Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne, 193.5km


Stage 3: Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne
Date: July 3, 2023
Distance: 193.5km
Stage type: Flat
The sprinters finally getting a chance of victory on stage 3 as the Tour de France leaves the Basque Country and enters France.
Stage 3 start in Amorebieta-Etxano and heads along the Basque Country coastline before reaching the French border and continuing north to Bayonne.
The 193.5km stage - extended by 6.1km to detour around road furniture - features four climbs before it leaves Spain – the ascents of Trabakua, Milloi, Itziar and Orioko Benta – but none of them are classified above of category 3 and the fast men should not lose contact with the peloton.
That terrain will encourage early attackers, of course, and Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) will be watchful in defence of his polka dot jersey, but the flat run-in to Bayonne lends itself clearly to a bunch sprint.
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), so aggressive in the opening two days, seems unlikely to search for opportunities on Monday, where vigilance will be the order of the day for yellow jersey Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) and the rest of the overall contenders.
After placing second in San Sebastian on Sunday, Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) will be eager to strike back here, but the Belgian will face stiff competition from the pure sprinters, including Fabio Jakobsen (Soudal-QuickStep), Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Dstny), Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-Alula) and, of course, Mark Cavendish (Astana-Qazaqstan), seeking that elusive 35th Tour stage win.
Jasper Philipsen, meanwhile, will be able to rely on the deluxe lead-out services of his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Mathieu van der Poel. A sprint royale is in prospect.
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Cyclingnews is the world's leader in English-language coverage of professional cycling. Started in 1995 by University of Newcastle professor Bill Mitchell, the site was one of the first to provide breaking news and results over the internet in English. The site was purchased by Knapp Communications in 1999, and owner Gerard Knapp built it into the definitive voice of pro cycling. Since then, major publishing house Future PLC has owned the site and expanded it to include top features, news, results, photos and tech reporting. The site continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative English voice in professional cycling.
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Tour de France 2025: All the yellow cards, fines, and penalties
Milan gets fine after win on stage 8, all quiet on stage 9 -
'Beyond my wildest dreams' – Sarah Gigante’s rocky road to dual stage wins and overall podium spot at Giro d’Italia Women
Update with stage 7 victory and GC third for Australian which carves out perfect comeback from iliac artery endofibrosis surgery -
'I'm a fighter' – Two crashes and a puncture not enough to stop Samara Maxwell riding to MTB World Cup victory at Pal Arinsal
Rider from New Zealand climbs back to XCO top step after fighting back to front and then launching a last lap attack -
Sarah Sturm and Zach Calton plunder Utah gravel for solo wins at Crusher in the Tushar
Emma Langley and Torbjørn Røed ride to runner-up positions as race returns from year off due to wild fires in area