Friday took the race to one of Italy’s most beautiful regions.
The third stage of Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali ended up changing the GC leader, which didn’t come as a surprise given the presence of the Passo Tre Termini (8.4km, 5.7%) inside the final 25 kilometers of the day. The race wasn’t won there, but the presence of this climb on the course was enough for the peloton to bring back the original breakaway and drop some of the riders in the top ten.
Despite a reduced bunch on the descent, no one could get away, and the stage came down to a bunch sprint won by Tomasso Dati (Team UKYO) in the small town situated on the shore of Lago Iseo. Viktor Soenens, a top ten finisher at last month’s Volta Comunitat Valenciana, was Soudal Quick-step’s best placed rider in Iseo, which got to host a stage finish here for the first time in history.
On Saturday, the race continues with a much more complicated stage, between Ponte di Piave and Valdobbiadene. Five hills, stacked in the last 50 kilometers of the day, should make for some exciting racing and bring the GC contenders to the fore again.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
