The gravel roads didn’t bring any gaps between the GC favourites.
Stage 3 of the Danmark Rundt wasn’t just the longest of this edition, at 239.2 kilometers standing as one of the longest races of the year, comparable in length to the Monuments or the World Championships.
Travelling from Otterup to Herning, the city which a decade ago hosted two stages at the Giro d’Italia, the route comprises seven gravel sectors for a total of 18.2 kilometers of unsurfaced roads. Despite this, the parcours failed to shake up the rankings, which remained pretty much unchanged, the only eventful moment of the day before the bunch sprint being the breakaway giving the peloton a run for their money, with the last survivor of the move being caught just 1700 meters from the line.
As the teams brought their fast men to the fore, an ill-timed puncture took Ethan Vernon out of contention in the finale of the stage, which was won by Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma). Zdenek Stybar and Mauro Schmid concluded as our top finishers, the Swiss gaining a place in the general classification, where another Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider, Josef Cerny, remains in seventh place with two stages to go.
Photo credit: ©David Ramos / Getty Images
