A large David Gaudu surprises the favorites and wins the 3rd stage ahead of Mads Pedersen and Jonas Vingegaard

In the aftermath of his third place, the Frenchman beat Mads Pedersen and Jonas Vingegaard at the Sprint in the last coast on Monday.

The Frenchman surprised everyone. Already in view the day before Limone Piemonte, David Gaudu won the third stage of the Vuelta on Monday August 25 in Ceres (Italy). At the end of a final conducted at a hellish train, he got involved in the sprint and managed the feat of passing in front of Mads Pedersen and Jonas Vingegaard. An exceptional performance for those who had given up on the Tour de France, not feeling at the level in July. He signed his third victory over the Spanish race, five years after his double in the 2020 edition.

The Finistérien did not go far from a double blow, but it is Jonas Vingegaard who will wear the red jersey of leader on Tuesday. At the same time as the Danish in the general classification, he is beaten in the cumulation of the places obtained from the big departure. “I have not won in World Tour since the Critérium du Dauphiné (in 2022) where I had beaten Wout Van Aert in a sprint, already, it's anecdotal but there are really a lot of emotions”reacted David Gaudu, all smiles.

This victory means a lot for those who have experienced a new season truncated by falls, especially on Italian races (Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, Giro), and it is in Italy where he signed his return to the highest level. In addition to having your legs to keep the rhythm of a experienced sprinter like Mads Pedersen, the Frenchman perfectly negotiated the last turn, doubling Jonas Vingegaard with cheek and authority. Another Frenchwoman, Jordan Labrosse (Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiale), fifth, has interfered among the best of the day.

Before the final packaging, the race has experienced very few twists and turns. Resumed 19 km from the finish, Sean Quinn (EF Education-Easypost) was the last survivor of the breakaway. For its part, Alessandro Verre (Arkéa-B & B Hotels) did the necessary to recover the mountain jersey by taking five points at the top of Issiglio (2nd category).