Vuelta a Espana: Viviani wins stage 3 sprint

Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) took his first ever victory at the Vuelta a Espana, beating Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo) to win in Alhaurin de la Torre on stage 3. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) finished just behind the Italian pair to take third place.

Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) finished in the bunch to keep his red jersey and maintain his 14-second lead over Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) with the rest of the top 10 remaining the same.

After a difficult day, it was a messy finale with no one team able to take control of the peloton in the final kilometres. A number of sprinters tried to go long with Marc Sarreau (Groupama-FDJ) launching a move under the flamme rouge. Sarreau was brought back before Danny van Poppel (LottoNL-Jumbo) had a go.

Guided in by Michael Morkov, Viviani bided his time and squeezed through a line of sprinters to get to the front with just under 200 metres remaining. The most successful sprinter of the 2018 season, Viviani looked untouchable once he got up to speed, with only Nizzolo able to get anywhere close to him. After four wins at this year's Giro d'Italia, this is Viviani's fifth Grand Tour success this season and his first at the Spanish race.

"It was beautiful. I have no words, again, for the team. Being the strongest is difficult because nobody helps to pull. It was just Sky working until the end of the big climb. We used Pieter Serry and the young Kasper Asgreen really to pull all day," Viviani explained after the stage.

"It's difficult to control a stage like this but we wanted it, and every time we commit like that, 90 per cent of the time we are in one line controlling. That's being a team. All day we go for one goal. Yesterday we were close with [Laurens] De Plus], and today we were very focused. We didn't know if we would win or not, because with 3000m of elevation gain it's not an easy sprint, but the Vuelta is always like that. I'm really happy. This wonderful season continues."

How it happened

The peloton would descend on Mijas for the start of stage 3 with Kwiatkowski resplendent in red after taking the race lead the previous day. The 178.2km circuitous ride to Alhaurin de la Torre had been billed as one for the sprinters, but with a first category climb and another third category, only time would tell if the sprinters would succeed.

A break formed very quickly, and less than five kilometres in, the status quo would be set for the day. Nans Peters (AG2R-La Mondiale), Pierre Rolland (EF Education First-Drapac), Jordi Simón (Burgos-BH), Antonio Molina (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Luis Ángel Maté (Cofidis), Héctor Sáez (Euskadi-Murias) formed the day's break. Maté, wearing the mountains classification jersey, had been in the move on stage 2 and was looking to add to his tally of KOM points.

As the six leaders approached the first ascent of the day, the Puerto del Madroño, their lead was holding station at just below the four-minute mark with Team Sky managing the pace in the bunch. Quick-Step Floors would move towards the front over the top of the climb, looking to keep things under control for Viviani.

The pace set by the Belgian team was steady but with little impetus, though the gap to the escapees would trickle down, and by the second climb of the day, the advantage had been cut in two. The classified climbs were done dusted with 90 kilometres remaining, but there was still plenty of short rises between the riders and the finish line.

Rolland was the first of the escapees to lose touch after suffering a puncture, leaving five riders in the breakaway up front. After little action for much of the day, the peloton lit up as the break loomed into sight. Victor Campenaerts and Jelle Wallays (Lotto Soudal), Alexis Gougeard (AG2R La Mondiale), and Lukas Postlberger (Bora-Hansgrohe) set off in chase of the remaining fugitives.

As they closed in, Simon went solo from the leading group. Simon was soon caught and the additional riders from the breakaway made it nine at the head of affairs. The gap to the bunch was small and relations in the group would break down with repeated attacks thinning it out out. With 25 kilometres, they had just 20 seconds and an attack from Postlberger would be the final move from the dwindling attack.

Postlberger was eventually reeled in with six kilometres to go as the teams lined up for the sprint finish. Following a very tough start to the day, none of the teams had a wealth of riders and it was ultimately up to the sprinters themselves to get into the right place at the right time. It was Viviani, with help from Morkov, who got to the front as the riders rounded the final corner and showed the rest a clean pair of heels to take his first win of the race.

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