'It was quite a move' - Vingegaard retains Vuelta lead as Gaudu dazzles on stage 3
The red jersey, Vingegaard, was once again at the front of the action in the final kilometre and finished on the stage podium once more.
Jonas Vingegaard retained the race lead at the Vuelta a España on Monday after a strong third place on stage 3 behind stage winner David Gaudu and Mads Pedersen in an uphill sprint.
The four bonus seconds that Vingegaard gained, combined with the ten that Gaudu gained from the stage win, mean that the duo are now level on time at the top of the general classification. However, Vingegaard maintains the race lead and was content with another strong performance, speaking in his post-race interview.
“Yeah, 3rd place again, it was a hard finish, a hard day, so happy to make it through,” said Vingegaard.
An uphill finale on a Category 4 climb to Ceres with a twisty finish saw Gaudu make his stage-winning move heading into the final corner, which gave the Frenchman enough momentum to hold off Pedersen and Vingegaard.
Vingegaard was in a strong position throughout the final kilometre and into the last corner, and was asked if he thought that he was going to win at one point.
“No, Pedersen was going very strong, and I didn’t think that I could go past him because I was suffering a lot in the wheel, and then in the last corner, David Gaudu, he divebombed me and Pedersen, so yeah, it was quite a move, but that’s cycling,” said Vingegaard in regards to the bold race-winning move of the Frenchman.
The four bonus seconds that Vingegaard gained from his third-place finish helped him maintain his position at the top of the standings, holding off Gaudu, who gained ten via countback. Though initially uncertain about his standing after the stage, Vingegaard was pleased with the result, extending his lead over the majority of the field.
“Yeah, David Gaudu, he took some time because of the [bonus seconds]. I don’t know if I gained some time or not, but at least third on the stage, I gained four bonus seconds, so of course I’m happy with that,” said Vingegaard.
