Cycling: The third stage of the 2025 Tour de France will feature a bunch sprint. But beware: The race won't be as easy and uneventful as the stage profile suggests at first glance.
After Mont Cassel the wind changes
At first glance, the 178,3-kilometer stage from Valenciennes to Dunkirk appears to be a smooth section. However, this assumption is misleading once Mont Cassel is reached. The category four climb isn't the biggest problem. After all, the climb is only 2,3 kilometers long and has an average gradient of 4,1 percent. The race situation becomes much more exciting immediately after the climb. Then the wind shifts, and there's a risk of wind edges forming again, potentially leading to the formation of packs.
Velomotion forecast: Alpecin – Deceuninck has everything under control
When the wind whipped through the peloton on the first stage, one team in particular had everything under control: Alpecin-Deceuninck not only placed their top sprinter in the lead group, but also his lead-out man. Jasper Philipsen won after perfect work from Kaden Groves and Mathieu van der Poel. This trio is incredibly fast and remarkably consistent. They won't be rattled on the third stage either. We predict another hectic day in the peloton, but still a sprinter to take the victory. Only Tim Merlier and Jonathan Milan could beat Philipsen in terms of top speed. But they didn't survive the crosswinds on the first stage – quite unlike the infernal trio from Alpecin-Deceuninck.
*** Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin – Deceuninck)
**Jonathan Milan (Lidl – Trek), Tim Merlier (Soudal – Quick-Step)
* Biniam Girmay (Intermarché – Wanty), Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain – Victorious), Pascal Ackermann (Israel – Premier Tech)