2022 Giro d’Italia: Stage 3 Results

After missing the race for nine years, Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team) returned to make his mark in the 2022 Giro d’Italia, winning the 201km long Stage 3 of the race, starting from Kaposvár and finishing in Balatonfüred. The win marks Cavendish’s 16th victory at the Giro.

Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) and Fernando Gaviria Rendon (UAE Team Emirates) finished second and third respectively.

Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) retains the Maglia Rosa.

Speaking seconds after the stage finished, the stage winner Mark Cavendish said: “The feeling is the same as for my first win at the Giro d’Italia. I love racing. I’m happy with that here. This race is still nice to me. Definitely, the guys in my team give me confidence. I have the best group of guys. I have no excuses. It’s nice to have them here at the Giro. I felt Mathieu van der Poel go, that’s why I had to go early and it was a very long sprint. The Giro in Hungary has been incredible. The crowds were phenomenal. I’ve seen many people on bikes, many bike paths. People have loved the Grande Partenza. It’s been a privilege for me to be here and an exceptional privilege to win here.”

The Maglia Rosa Mathieu Van der Poel said: “I didn’t really try to sprint myself. We did a good lead out as a team. Unfortunately our sprinter Jakub Mareczko got boxed in. I think he did a very good job. I’ve enjoyed riding in the Maglia Rosa. I’m happy to take it to Italy. It depends on how the race goes now but I’ll try to take some more stage wins. Normally it’s impossible for me to keep the jersey on Mount Etna but I’ll see how it feels.”

2022 Giro d’Italia: Stage 3 Brief Results

1. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team) – 201 km in 4h56’39″, average speed 40.654 km/h
2. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) s.t.
3. Fernando Gaviria Rendon (UAE Team Emirates) s.t.

General Classification After Stage 3

1. Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix)
2. Simon Yates (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) at 11″
3. Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma) at 16″

Jerseys:

• Maglia Rosa, leader of the General Classification, sponsored by Enel – Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix)
• Maglia Ciclamino, leader of the Points Classification, dedicated to ‘Made in Italy’ – Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix)
• Maglia Azzurra, leader of the Gran Premio della Montagna (KOM), sponsored by Banca Mediolanum – Rick Zabel (Israel-Premier Tech)
• Maglia Bianca, Best Young Rider, sponsored by Intimissimi Uomo – Matteo Sobrero (Team BikeExchange-Jayco)

Tuesday’s Stage

After a rest and travel day as the race returns to Italy, Tuesday’s stage will be one for climbers, with a finish at the peak of Mount Etna.

The stage starts in Avola, passing Noto (the capital of Sicilian Baroque), Pantalica and Vizzini. In the approach to the volcano, the route undulates continuously, though with no major climbs. Outside the urban areas, the road surface may be damaged at points. Within the urban areas, the roads are usually narrow, with the common obstacles found in these settings.

The stage finishes by the Rifugio Sapienza, as it has previously done, but the closing ascent is original. The climb begins in Biancavilla and intersects the Strada Milia (as in the 2018 Giro). Past the Astrophysical Observatory, the route merges onto the road coming from Nicolosi, heading for a ‘traditional’ finale at the Rifugio Sapienza.

The last 3 km are on a wide and well-paved road. The road winds its way along wide hairpins, mostly on lava fields. There is a mild counter-slope with 500m to go, before the final u-turn (250m before the finish). Here, the road goes up again along the home stretch (200m, 3% uphill grade), leading to the finish line.