MADRID, 19 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Belgian cyclist Wout van Aert (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) won the third stage of La Vuelta 2024 in a sprint on Monday, held in Portugal between the towns of Lousa and Castelo Branco over 191.5 kilometers, and extended his lead in the general classification thanks to the bonus seconds.
The leader beat Australian Kaden Groves (Alpecin Deceuninck) and Spaniard Jon Aberasturi (Euskaltel-Euskadi) at the finish line on a day in which, like the second, the peloton once again started behind schedule.
On this occasion, the breakaway of the day was once again made up of Spanish riders Luis Ángel Maté (Euskaltel Euskadi) and Ibón Ruiz (Kern-Pharma), along with their teammates Xabier Isasa and Unai Iribar, respectively, but the victory was decided in a mass sprint in which the good positioning of his teammates gave the Belgian the victory.
The Spanish Grand Prix will take part in its fourth day on Tuesday, the first in the mountains, covering 170.5 kilometres between Plasencia and Pico Villuercas, a first category mountain pass that will be the first test to see the level of the favourites in the general classification.