The third stage of the Tour de l’Avenir covered 136 km from Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise to Vitry-en-Charollais. The day ended with French rider Maxime Decomble pulling on the yellow jersey.
He was part of a successful breakaway that worked well together, joined by Luxembourg’s Arno Wallenborn and Alexandre Kess. In the final sprint Kess secured third place, while Wallenborn crossed the line in 17th. The rest of the Luxembourg team – Mathieu Kockelmann, Mats Berns, Mil Morang, and Noé Ury – finished 2 minutes 27 seconds behind.
In the general classification, Decomble now leads by six seconds ahead of Denmark’s Simon Dalby and Britain’s stage winner Elliot Rowe. Arno Wallenborn is currently the best-placed Luxembourger, sitting eighth overall, 19 seconds off the lead.
After the finish, Alexandre Kess explained that the early part of the stage had been very tough, with constant attacks and counter-attacks until the breakaway finally got clear after around 70 kilometres. He said that once he and Wallenborn were part of the group, the situation improved: Kess could rely on his sprinting ability, while Wallenborn excelled on the climbs.
Kess explained that their lead quickly grew to a few minutes, and it became clear the stage would be decided among the escapees. In the finale, Kess said he was forced to deal with a dropped chain and a hard-fought sprint, but he still managed to claim third place.
In the women’s race, Marie Schreiber also sprinted to third place. She later reflected on how demanding the day had been: the stage stretched to around 150 kilometres with more than 2,000 metres of elevation change, constantly climbing and descending. She explained that her team had planned from the start to aim for a sprint finish, and they worked to close a late French attack.
Schreiber added that in the final 10 kilometres other teams took control, and that she focused on finding the right position. Boxed in during the sprint, she couldn’t unleash her full speed but was satisfied with third, believing she might have been capable of winning with a clearer run to the line.
Liv Wenzel finished 12th on the same time, while Gwen Nothum placed 74th. In the general classification, Canada’s Isabella Holmgren retains the overall lead. Schreiber is the best-placed Luxembourger in 26th, one minute behind.
