The finish of today's stage 3 of Itzulia Basque Country (2.UWT) resulted in a strange racing incident that saw a neutral service mechanic running with the riders in the middle of the peloton on the steep incline to the finish.
Shimano had placed a couple of spare bikes, and a mechanic, roadside to offer assistance in the event any riders came a cropper just before the line. Unfortunately, as Juan Pedro López (Trek-Segafredo) was leading the peloton in the final 200 metres he moved to his right and accidentally nudged Sergio Higuita (Bora-hansgrohe) into the barriers.
The Colombian, and Ecuadorian champion Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), were both forced to unclip, with the Shimano mechanic running into the road and trying to give both of them a push so they could get going again.
Advertisement
Amid the chaos, Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) emerged strongest to pull clear and win the stage by two seconds from Mikel Landa (Bahrain-Victorious) and Enric Mas (Movistar Team).
Related News
Vingegaard also claimed the yellow jersey, from yesterday's stage winner Ide Schelling (Bora-hansgrohe). Ireland's Eddie Dunbar (Jayco AlUla) was 83rd today, at 12:54, as he continues to try and find his climbing legs on his return from an eight-week racing break after fracturing a bone in his hand during his first race of the season in early February.
