Stage Three — Collonges-La Rouge to Montignac-Lascaux (147.5 km.) —Tuesday, July 25

We are still in hilly country for Stage 3, but the sprinters will have something to prove out there today. Collonges-La Rouge is an historic village with impressive 16th century red sandstone architecture, and it’s where the riders will kick off the day.

Spectators will get to cheer in some of the most beautiful sections of the region, including the châteaux of Pompadour, Hautefort, and Saint-Robert, one of France’s most beautiful villages, as well as the stunning Vézère valley.

There are 5 categorised climbs, and the longest one could break up the peloton at only 27 km. into the day. Côte du Peyroux is 4.8 km. long at an average grade of 4 percent.

After the last categorised climb at km. 92.2 (a short puncher up Côte de Saint-Robert, 1.1 km., 6.2 percent) the rest of the race is likely to be fast and furious. Look for a breakaway sometime in the final 50 km. The question is when it will come and if it will stick. Be ready for the last hour of this race to be spicy. The sprinters won’t get another chance to shine like this again until Friday’s stage.

Riders to Watch

Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx) will be looking to grab as many sprints as possible. Marianne *the boss* Voss (Jumbo Visma) will do everything she can to be out front in this stage. Don’t let anyone tell you she’s not still the smartest, strongest woman ever to race in the pro peloton. We’ll also have an eye on Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon/SRAM) who won stage 5 of the Giro Donne, and Yara Kastelijn (Fenix–Deceuninck), who had an incredible day in Stage 2, will likely lead many of the climbs again.