Tirreno–Adriatico - Stage 3

The anticipated heaviness of Tirreno showed itself during Stage 3.

It was a long one at 218 kilometers with 3,000 meters of climbing. Add in some hot temps and a solid breakaway and the stage was set for a big GC decision day. Tirreno always seems to find some absurdly steep and bizarre roads and they showed us a new one today.

We had Eddy and Heppy chipping into the chase in the first half of the stage. Back in the bunch, I had plenty of time to get familiar riding for Simon. Things ramped up with almost a hundred kilometers to go as we headed into a large one-lap finishing circuit.

Slabs grated with divots for traction had me using every inch of my 39-30 gearing and wishing I had even more. I went over the top with Simon in great position and we set out onto the undulating lap knowing we had to tackle the same climb with 10 km to go. The rolling hills were taking their toll on the bunch with guys popping off in ones and twos.

I did my last effort with Simon on my wheel as we approached the wall for the second time and nursed my way to the finish. Upfront, Lucas and Jack did a great job taking over and looking after Simon but were just off the mark of a storming Mike Woods. Mike is one of those Girona guys who also joined the fatherhood club this past winter.

Seeing how hard he’s worked to step up to his current level combined with returning from a career-threatening injury at Paris-Nice has been inspiring. The 200 km stages and climbing continue to ramp up over the next two stages.

Images: Getty Images