The third stage of the Vuelta a España takes the peloton from San Maurizio Canavese to Ceres. Once again, it’s a short stage, with only 134.6 kilometers on the menu. After the start in Canavese, a “sub-Alpine” village of just 10,000 inhabitants, the riders face another easy opening phase. There are some elevation gains, but no real climbs until around the 60-kilometer mark.

That’s where the Puerto Issaglio begins, a second-category climb that tops out at 849 meters. At 6.4 kilometers averaging 6%, it isn’t particularly tough. From there, however, the road is constantly up and down all the way to the finish in Ceres. Along the way, the riders will tackle a three-kilometer ascent at around 5%, as well as an uncategorized climb to Corio.

By then, the race is already in its final thirty kilometers. The peloton briefly brushes past the start town again before turning west. The run-in isn’t overly complicated, mostly straightforward along false-flat roads toward the finish in Ceres. But there’s still a sting in the tail: a final climb of 2.2 kilometers at 4.2%.

That might be just a bit too demanding for the pure sprinters, but the finale should be fascinating nonetheless.