The stage 3 individual time trial was the shortest in the last 21 years.
Friday's uphill stage against the clock didn't turn the Tour de Romandie upside down, but brought several changes to the general classification ahead of the queen-stage, which is due to take place around Sion, on a course that features five classified climbs, last of which tops out with less than 30 kilometers to go.
The course started from Ollon, a small town in the canton of Vaud, and took the riders to Villars, over a 9.9km-long climb averaging 7.9% which last year was a stage finish at the Swiss race. Egan Bernal (Team Sky) came out on top, beating by four seconds race leader Primoz Roglic (LottoNL-Jumbo), who concluded runner-up, ahead of Richie Porte (BMC).
Unfortunately, due to the brisk tempo set by the stage winner on the grueling climb which included 10% sections, four Quick-Step Floors riders - Fernando Gaviria, Davide Martinelli, Fabio Sabatini and Elia Viviani - are out of the race, after missing the time cut.
Quick-Step Floors' Eros Capecchi rode a solid time trial on the steady gradient of stage 3 and stopped the clock in 28:23, a result which sees the Italian jump three places in the overall standings. For Capecchi, this is the final race before flying to Israel next week for the start of the Giro d'Italia, where the 31-year-old, a stage winner at the Corsa Rosa, will make his tenth appearance.
Photo credit: ©Michael Steele/ Getty Images
