La Vuelta 2025 Stage 3 recap - David Gaudu upsets Mads Pederson in uphill finale, Jonas Vingegaard retains red jersey

Medium mountains but somehow you cannot rule it out being one for the sprinters. I have enjoyed your company, and am looking forward to this one on Tuesday.

At least into that final corner, and it meant he had to put the brakes on to prevent himself from going into the barriers. Gaudu in contrast, having taken the tighter line, could afford to maintain his momentum up the hill and go full gas to the line.

DAVID GAUDU: THIS IS THE BEST BEGINNING OF THE VUELTA
"I was thinking on the bus this morning the finish was more for Pedersen but they said I could win today. The team did a very very good job and I'm very very proud to win for me and for the team. This is the best beginning of the Vuelta. When I saw Pedersen launch the sprint at 200-250m, I just pushed all my limit to the finish line."

Only just! With bonuses, Gaudu and Vingegaard are level on the same time, but Vingegaard's second place is just enough to keep the jersey.

1. Jonas Vingegaard 10'55'36"
2. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) "
3. Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) +8''
4. Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) +14''
5. Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) +16''

1. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ)
2. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
3. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike)
4. Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek)
5. Jordan Labrosse (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale)

Tom Pidcock finished in 23rd, on the same time.

Gaudu drove up from fifth before the final corner, dropped onto Vingegaard's wheel and bombed up the inside of Pedersen. He had enough left in his legs to give it one last kick to the line and that is what she wrote.

Pedersen is beaten at his own game! Listen, fair play, Gaudu comes in for plenty of criticism but credit where it is due. He showed on Sunday the sort of form he is in and he just showed what he can do with it.

Out of the saddle goes Ciccone, if you're not there now it's too late.

Lidl-Trek started this and they want to finish it. Ganna fancies this too, though.

Vingegaard is in a super position, behind Jorgenson.

As Movistar take it up at the front but Lidl_Trek want that foremost position back. No real contender wants to show their hand too soon, though. The climb starts at 2.6km to go, but it's steepest at the very top.

He's done all he can as this race is set to go supersonic. The teams have taken up their positions.

There's currently a calm in the bunch, but it won't last for long. It looks like the pace is too much already for Jasper Philipsen who is drifting off the back and resigned to his fate. He won't contest the finish.

Vigilance is everything now, especially through these roundabouts, and Lidl-Trek are doing everything they can to ensure Mads Pedersen expends as little power as possible and has as much as possible to give at the finish. The impact on the rest of the peloton is clear. Visma-Lease a Bike are doing their bit to keep Jonas Vingegaard clear of danger too.

A final right hand bend and onto a wide westerly road brings Sean Quinn back within reach of the Lidl-Trek-led peloton. They've used up a fair amount of firepower to do so. Will that cost them control of the finale, or present opportunities for his rivals?

That's the signal to Sean Quinn that the peloton is breathing down his neck. He knows it's not going to be much longer, and all he can do is ride his heart out until that moment comes. The clock at the top of the screen says 18 seconds.

Because as you can see, it's fiddly. Bear in mind this is going uphill as well. The bottom right hairpin and then the almost as tight corner with 75m to go mean they cannot afford to lose concentration for a moment. And as this isn't deemed a sprint finish, there's no 3km rule, so if there's a crash, or a rider picks up a mechanical, it could be curtains.

Onto a kilometre of unclassified ascent, he decides he's done all he can and says adios to Sean Quinn, who looks likely to take the combativity prize. Verre will be happy to become the new king of the mountains outright.

I did the two riders out front a disservice, as they still seem to be doing their best, even under the pressure Lidl-Trek are piling on them. Their lead is steady at a minute and one can only wonder how much of a fight they'd have been able to put up had they remained a foursome.

Having gone through those two finish lines, they don't have much more to race for and it's visible in their legs and the time gap, which is closing on a minute. Obviously that's partly due to the pressure on them from behind, as Lidl-Trek have been making a real race of it for the last while.