Visma open to losing yellow as Evenepoel expects little movement on Tour stage 3

Victor Campenaerts suggested before the start that Visma’s main concern would not be keeping the maillot jaune within the team, but making sure the race does not allow a serious general classification threat to slip into the breakaway. 

With a demanding route, rising temperatures and around 4000 metres of climbing, the Belgian expects a difficult day, though not necessarily one controlled from start to finish by the team of the yellow jersey.

“It is not a pure climbers’ stage, but it is still a hard one,” Campenaerts said to Eurosport. “The heat will only make it more complicated. It could be a good opportunity for the breakaway, as long as there is no rider up the road who can become dangerous later in the Tour.”

Asked whether Visma would put the full weight of the team behind defending yellow, Campenaerts was pragmatic.

“Maybe,” he said. “But for us it would not be too much of a problem if someone else takes the jersey, as long as it is not a rider who is really dangerous for the final overall standings of the Tour de France.”

That scenario is also being watched closely by Remco Evenepoel, who came through the opening weekend in a strong position. The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe leader starts the day third overall, 15 seconds down, but he does not see stage 3 as a likely moment for major differences between the Tour favourites.

Evenepoel expects the opening phase to define the entire day. 

“A lot depends on what Visma wants to do from the start,” Evenepoel told Sporza. “If the right break goes, you usually feel quite quickly whether the stage is going their way. The beginning will decide a lot.”

Despite the climbing on the menu, Evenepoel does not believe the final ascent is hard enough to create real separation among the main contenders. A sprint from a reduced group is possible, but he expects any time gains to be limited to the bonus seconds at the finish.

“I do not think there will be big gaps on the last climb,” he said. “Maybe there is still a sprint, but taking ten seconds there will be difficult, apart from the bonuses.”

For Evenepoel, the yellow jersey is not a target that needs to be chased at this point in the race. Nor is stage victory something his team plans to empty the tank for. With three weeks of racing ahead, he made clear that Red Bull will not burn unnecessary energy for a result that may offer more prestige than strategic value.

“We are not going all in for the stage,” Evenepoel said. “That is not the plan for us today.”