The sprinters were again in the spotlight.
One of the many Dutch cities hit by the economic madness that was the Tulip Fever four centuries ago, when several bulbs of the flower whose spectacular journey had begun at the junction of the Pamir and Tian Shan Mountains hundreds of years prior to what today is considered the first financial bubble in history, Breda hosted both the start and the finish of the race’s third stage.
A completely flat one, it was also, at 193.2 kilometers, the longest day of La Vuelta, and a seven-man breakaway animated it until 15 kilometers to go, when the last rider of that group was caught by the peloton. As expected, the stage ended up in a mass gallop and the victory went to Sam Bennett (Bora-hansgrohe), with all our boys coming home safely in.
The race will now leave the Netherlands and head to Spain, more precisely to the picturesque Basque Country, where a shake-up of the general classification promises to come as soon as Tuesday, in Laguardia.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
Remco Evenepoel 
