Following on from Wednesday’s day in the hills, stage three offered another chance for the puncheurs with some tough climbs in the opening part of the stage, before a rolling and hilly finale. From the flag drop the action was on and a strong group of four went clear that included some dangerous riders on the GC, so as a result the pace remained high for the rest of the day. Eventually those ahead were caught and a new break formed out front, but the pace stayed high, while Team dsm-firmenich PostNL focused on bringing Oscar Onley into the finale in a good way.
Coming into the hilly section in the closing 30 kilometres the team did a good job of positioning with Sean Flynn making it over the many uncategorised ascents alongside Onley, with the remaining breakaway riders caught inside ten kilometres remaining. Onley followed a move from Pidcock on the penultimate drag but they were quickly shut down by the peloton. A fast and wet descent followed which saw the front group navigate the twisting and turning roads, with Onley not taking any risks. Coming around the last corner and the uphill kick he started from towards the back of the group and managed to come past several riders, but just missed out on another stage podium with fifth place come the line.
Speaking after the stage Onley expressed: “The race was full on from the start today which I think suited me well. The guys did some nice riding in general, and Sean especially did a good job staying with me until the very final climb. On the run-in to the final uphill kick, I struggled with positioning a bit which cost me the chance of going for a very top result.”