Villabona, Spain: Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard won stage three of the Tour of the Basque Country on Wednesday on a route culminating with four short, steep climbs.
Vingegaard soared to the top of the standings of the six-day tour after overnight leader Ide Schelling was dropped 9 km from home after struggling to keep up on the first of the four "walls".
Danish rider Vingegaard beat local hero Mikel Landa of Bahrain Victorious and Spaniard Enric Mas of Movistar by around two seconds at the finish line.
"Every climb was hard today, and I have to thank my team-mates a lot today, they worked their arses off and I'm very happy to take the win," said Vingegaard, who beat Tadej Pogacar to the Tour de France title last July.
A late tangle with a roadside barrier took out Richard Carapaz and Sergio Higuita, who had been involved in the intense struggle for the stage win.
The Basque race is under the spotlight this season as this year's Tour de France starts in Bilbao on July 1 and runs through the picturesque region for three days.
On the 162 km from Errenteria to Villabona, the peloton sped through the chic Basque seaside resort of San Sebastian, with its magnificent horseshoe bay and Concha beach.
Thursday's stage from Santurtzi and back should also prove pivotal to the overall standings with a late category two climb and a downhill dash to the finish.
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