TDF 2023: Stage 3:– Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne, 185km ***Spoilers***
blazing_saddles
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Stage 3:– Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne, 185km
Monday, July 3
Start Time: Midday BST.
The third day also starts in the Basque country – in Amorebieta-Etxano. The route takes in five climbs, the last one is situated 19 kilometres from the finish. Along the coast, the stage leads riders to the French border and back to France. There, in the finish town of Bayonne, the first mass sprint of this 110th Tour de France will probably take place.
Amorebieta is known for the Klasika Primavera, a single-day race that saw its last edition in 2019.
The route of the 3rd stage is very straightforward. Approximately 15 kilometres after moving through San Sebastián the riders cross into France, at Irún.
The finish location is Bayonne. The town is situated at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers. Interestingly, the source of the Ardour is located high up the most climbed Tour col: The Tourmalet.
The Climb.
Final Kms.
The road goes virtually entirely downhill – although at moderate gradients – from the Côte de Saint-Pee-sur-Nivelle to the finish line.
What to Expect:
The profile of the closing kilometres for what is the Tour’s reunion with Bayonne will give the sprinters’ teams the chance to manoeuvre their lead-out trains into position, so expect the first bunch sprint.
Amorebieta-Etxano
Stage city for the first time
Population: 19,587
Amorebieta-Etxano, also known as Zornotza, is a town and municipality located in Biscay in the Basque Country, an Autonomous Community in northern Spain. Amorebieta-Etxano is in an unparalleled location with views of the mountains around it. The town holds many festivities all through the year but its patron saint festival takes place in the middle of July, consecrated to the Virgen del Carmen.
AMOREBIETA-ETXANO AND CYCLING
Since 1946, Amorebieta has held a UCI Europe Tour race, the Klasika Primavera, which usually takes place on the same day as Paris-Roubaix. The race has been won by many great names, from Miguel Poblet to three-time winner Alejandro Valverde, as well as Laurent Jalabert, who won in 1995. Among the riders from the city are Benat Intxausti, who competed in the Tour de France in 2011 and 2014 and won two stages in the Giro, holding the pink jersey in 2013.
Gastronomy.
Zurrukutuna
Zurrukutuna is a traditional Spanish bread soup originating from the Basque Country. The bread soup is typically made with a combination of sliced country-style bread or baguette, onions, garlic, olive oil, salt cod, pimentón or paprika, and salt.
Txuleta
The Basque Country is also famous for its delicious T-bone steak—or either chuletón or txuleta. No less than five centimeters thick, normally served rare or at most medium-rare. Txuleta is one of the cornerstones of Basque cuisine. Iraeta, located in the Gros neighborhood of San Sebastian, is one of the most classic places to try Basque T-bone steak.
Bayonne
Stage town for the 33rd time
Population: 52,000.
Bayonne is a city in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine région of southwest France, where the Nive and Adour rivers meet. Narrow medieval streets characterize the old Grand Bayonne district. Here lie the Gothic-style Bayonne Cathedral, with its 13th-century cloister, and Château Vieux castle. Across the Nive river in the Petit Bayonne district is the Musée Basque, a museum devoted to the region’s arts, crafts and traditions.
BAYONNE AND CYCLING
Bayonne has already hosted the Tour de France 32 times since 1906, but the city has not hosted the Grande Boucle since 2003, when American Tyler Hamilton won here. No less than six Tour winners have raised their arms here: Petit-Breton (1907, 1908 and 1909), Lapize (1910), Lambot (1920), Bottecchia (1925), Frantz (1926) and Anquetil (1966). The city has also featured five times in the Vuelta. Bayonne is the birthplace of Roger Lapébie, winner of the 1937 Tour de France and of nine stages of the Tour.
Gastronomy.
Bayonne Ham
According to legend, the origin of Bayonne Ham lies in a chain of circumstances. One day, during a hunt, Gaston Fébus, Count of Foix, wounded a wild boar which ran away and was discovered by hunters, a few months later, fallen into a saltwater spring in Salies de Béarn. The animal was in perfect condition. This is how salting was born in the Adour basin... Today, Bayonne Ham is protected by a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), which defines it as a 'trimmed pork leg, salted with dry salt from the Adour basin and cured in the Pays de l'Adour area, located in the South-West of France for more than 7 months'.
Bayonne Chocolates.
Bayonne is the official chocolate capital of France not only for the quality of its dark chocolate but particularly for its history. The first important shipment of cocoa beans from the “New World” arrived in Seville in 1585 and this new drink was known only among a handful of Spanish nobles and, of course, the royal family, by the end of the 16th century. Bayonne, close to the border, was a natural choice for trade.
The first mention of chocolate, in the town archives, is in 1670 but mentions it as having been bought in Spain.
Today, chocolate is an integral part of the town’s character. Bayonne’s narrow pedestrian streets are blessed with a variety of local, traditional shops as well as a few national and European manufacturers.
Monday, July 3
Start Time: Midday BST.
The third day also starts in the Basque country – in Amorebieta-Etxano. The route takes in five climbs, the last one is situated 19 kilometres from the finish. Along the coast, the stage leads riders to the French border and back to France. There, in the finish town of Bayonne, the first mass sprint of this 110th Tour de France will probably take place.
Amorebieta is known for the Klasika Primavera, a single-day race that saw its last edition in 2019.
The route of the 3rd stage is very straightforward. Approximately 15 kilometres after moving through San Sebastián the riders cross into France, at Irún.
The finish location is Bayonne. The town is situated at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers. Interestingly, the source of the Ardour is located high up the most climbed Tour col: The Tourmalet.
The Climb.
Final Kms.
The road goes virtually entirely downhill – although at moderate gradients – from the Côte de Saint-Pee-sur-Nivelle to the finish line.
What to Expect:
The profile of the closing kilometres for what is the Tour’s reunion with Bayonne will give the sprinters’ teams the chance to manoeuvre their lead-out trains into position, so expect the first bunch sprint.
Amorebieta-Etxano
Stage city for the first time
Population: 19,587
Amorebieta-Etxano, also known as Zornotza, is a town and municipality located in Biscay in the Basque Country, an Autonomous Community in northern Spain. Amorebieta-Etxano is in an unparalleled location with views of the mountains around it. The town holds many festivities all through the year but its patron saint festival takes place in the middle of July, consecrated to the Virgen del Carmen.
AMOREBIETA-ETXANO AND CYCLING
Since 1946, Amorebieta has held a UCI Europe Tour race, the Klasika Primavera, which usually takes place on the same day as Paris-Roubaix. The race has been won by many great names, from Miguel Poblet to three-time winner Alejandro Valverde, as well as Laurent Jalabert, who won in 1995. Among the riders from the city are Benat Intxausti, who competed in the Tour de France in 2011 and 2014 and won two stages in the Giro, holding the pink jersey in 2013.
Gastronomy.
Zurrukutuna
Zurrukutuna is a traditional Spanish bread soup originating from the Basque Country. The bread soup is typically made with a combination of sliced country-style bread or baguette, onions, garlic, olive oil, salt cod, pimentón or paprika, and salt.
Txuleta
The Basque Country is also famous for its delicious T-bone steak—or either chuletón or txuleta. No less than five centimeters thick, normally served rare or at most medium-rare. Txuleta is one of the cornerstones of Basque cuisine. Iraeta, located in the Gros neighborhood of San Sebastian, is one of the most classic places to try Basque T-bone steak.
Bayonne
Stage town for the 33rd time
Population: 52,000.
Bayonne is a city in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine région of southwest France, where the Nive and Adour rivers meet. Narrow medieval streets characterize the old Grand Bayonne district. Here lie the Gothic-style Bayonne Cathedral, with its 13th-century cloister, and Château Vieux castle. Across the Nive river in the Petit Bayonne district is the Musée Basque, a museum devoted to the region’s arts, crafts and traditions.
BAYONNE AND CYCLING
Bayonne has already hosted the Tour de France 32 times since 1906, but the city has not hosted the Grande Boucle since 2003, when American Tyler Hamilton won here. No less than six Tour winners have raised their arms here: Petit-Breton (1907, 1908 and 1909), Lapize (1910), Lambot (1920), Bottecchia (1925), Frantz (1926) and Anquetil (1966). The city has also featured five times in the Vuelta. Bayonne is the birthplace of Roger Lapébie, winner of the 1937 Tour de France and of nine stages of the Tour.
Gastronomy.
Bayonne Ham
According to legend, the origin of Bayonne Ham lies in a chain of circumstances. One day, during a hunt, Gaston Fébus, Count of Foix, wounded a wild boar which ran away and was discovered by hunters, a few months later, fallen into a saltwater spring in Salies de Béarn. The animal was in perfect condition. This is how salting was born in the Adour basin... Today, Bayonne Ham is protected by a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), which defines it as a 'trimmed pork leg, salted with dry salt from the Adour basin and cured in the Pays de l'Adour area, located in the South-West of France for more than 7 months'.
Bayonne Chocolates.
Bayonne is the official chocolate capital of France not only for the quality of its dark chocolate but particularly for its history. The first important shipment of cocoa beans from the “New World” arrived in Seville in 1585 and this new drink was known only among a handful of Spanish nobles and, of course, the royal family, by the end of the 16th century. Bayonne, close to the border, was a natural choice for trade.
The first mention of chocolate, in the town archives, is in 1670 but mentions it as having been bought in Spain.
Today, chocolate is an integral part of the town’s character. Bayonne’s narrow pedestrian streets are blessed with a variety of local, traditional shops as well as a few national and European manufacturers.
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
4
Comments
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Nice one BS..1
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It was the Dark Ages when I stopped watching cycling but did Tyler Hamilton really win a bunch sprint??
Edit - no, he won solo by 1.55 with Zabel taking the bunch sprint for second. Hamilton had been briefly dropped earlier in the stage too.0 -
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McEwen comedy team briefing on bus is cringe"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0
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Literally just said the same in the CK thread! Awful.mididoctors said:McEwen comedy team briefing on bus is cringe
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Is that the one he rode with broken bonesPross said:It was the Dark Ages when I stopped watching cycling but did Tyler Hamilton really win a bunch sprint??
Edit - no, he won solo by 1.55 with Zabel taking the bunch sprint for second. Hamilton had been briefly dropped earlier in the stage too."If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
Turns out it was so it was a year when I was still watching. All those years merge into one for me.mididoctors said:
Is that the one he rode with broken bonesPross said:It was the Dark Ages when I stopped watching cycling but did Tyler Hamilton really win a bunch sprint??
Edit - no, he won solo by 1.55 with Zabel taking the bunch sprint for second. Hamilton had been briefly dropped earlier in the stage too.0 -
He was a walking skeleton.....so thin. Looked like he would crumble if you touched him . FreakyPross said:
Turns out it was so it was a year when I was still watching. All those years merge into one for me.mididoctors said:
Is that the one he rode with broken bonesPross said:It was the Dark Ages when I stopped watching cycling but did Tyler Hamilton really win a bunch sprint??
Edit - no, he won solo by 1.55 with Zabel taking the bunch sprint for second. Hamilton had been briefly dropped earlier in the stage too.
"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
I like Ola's dungerees...she looks like a presenter on rainbow 🌈Pross said:
Literally just said the same in the CK thread! Awful.mididoctors said:McEwen comedy team briefing on bus is cringe
"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
Despite all the hype, a good result for Cavendish today is simply finishing unscathed.2
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AgreeLanterne_Rogue said:Despite all the hype, a good result for Cavendish today is simply finishing unscathed.
He knows what he is doing ...."If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
Powless aside, there’s not much interest in getting in the breakaway.
Only Laurent Pichon for company."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Another soft break with Powless riding off and only Pichon joining him. Bunch looking happy to leave them to it. There's been very little fight for the break so far this year.0
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One of life's little pleasures - listening to Seb Piquet's KM0 introduction to the stage
All is right with the world0 -
Where was the stage a couple of years ago where there was a hill halfway through that put half the sprinters out the back and they never got back despite trying for ages? I guess today's hill is too far out to hope for that again?0
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Bit predictable... Guess I'll go for a run"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0
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Anything could happen ..I think this is a bit dangerous..the break will be lazy and the peloton will be fresh full of potential late attackers ...you need a bit of pressure to control . That said it's very very very hard to see past a sprintkingstongraham said:Where was the stage a couple of years ago where there was a hill halfway through that put half the sprinters out the back and they never got back despite trying for ages? I guess today's hill is too far out to hope for that again?
"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
Ben o Conner hasn't had a good start ..."If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0
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BBL"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0
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Definite sprint - just wondering whether it could be full on for a couple of hours from the teams of those who can climb a bit, to keep out the ones who can't. Probably not.mididoctors said:
Anything could happen ..I think this is a bit dangerous..the break will be lazy and the peloton will be fresh full of potential late attackers ...you need a bit of pressure to control . That said it's very very very hard to see past a sprintkingstongraham said:Where was the stage a couple of years ago where there was a hill halfway through that put half the sprinters out the back and they never got back despite trying for ages? I guess today's hill is too far out to hope for that again?
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In his tell-all book, he talked about knowing he was ready for the tour when it hurt to sit because his arse was so thin.mididoctors said:
He was a walking skeleton.....so thin. Looked like he would crumble if you touched him . FreakyPross said:
Turns out it was so it was a year when I was still watching. All those years merge into one for me.mididoctors said:
Is that the one he rode with broken bonesPross said:It was the Dark Ages when I stopped watching cycling but did Tyler Hamilton really win a bunch sprint??
Edit - no, he won solo by 1.55 with Zabel taking the bunch sprint for second. Hamilton had been briefly dropped earlier in the stage too.0 -
Yeahkingstongraham said:
Definite sprint - just wondering whether it could be full on for a couple of hours from the teams of those who can climb a bit, to keep out the ones who can't. Probably not.mididoctors said:
Anything could happen ..I think this is a bit dangerous..the break will be lazy and the peloton will be fresh full of potential late attackers ...you need a bit of pressure to control . That said it's very very very hard to see past a sprintkingstongraham said:Where was the stage a couple of years ago where there was a hill halfway through that put half the sprinters out the back and they never got back despite trying for ages? I guess today's hill is too far out to hope for that again?
You think some of the teams would try just as recon of the other teams sprinters ability
A dig just to see
"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
I take it nothing happened?"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0
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Lafay making a move in green.
Just clipped off the front, not really sure what he's doing or where he's going.0 -
A day for dodgy wine recommendations in fact.rick_chasey said:Gonna be a slow day. It's 143km still to go.
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.1 -
Sporza interview Wout - "not sure why everyone is so surprised I was really p!ssed off yesterday, of course i'm disappointed I didn't win".1
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If he gets 3rd at the intermediate, he's much more likely to be in green tomorrow.rick_chasey said:Lafay making a move in green.
Just clipped off the front, not really sure what he's doing or where he's going.2
