After a relatively flat Stage 2, which saw the riders make their way from Dusseldorf, Germany to Liege, Beligium, the peloton will finally make their way into France on Stage 3.
With Marcel Kittel capturing Stage 2, which began in his home country of Germany and ended in the country of the Quick-Step Floors team he rides for, all eyes will be on another Quick-Step rider, Philippe Gilbert, for Stage 3. Gilbert grew up in Verviers, where Stage 3 will set off from, and will have high expectations for the stage, hoping to take home the second stage victory of his career.
While the stage route through the Wallonia countryside will not involve any high altitude mountain passes, the course include three category 4 climbs, as well as two category 3 climbs. The route will top out just below 550 m on the Cote de Sart, just 18 km into the 212.5 km course.
There will also be sprint points up for grabs at Wincrange in Luxembourg, 89 km into the stage.
Stage 3 will favor the riders who excel in the Spring Classics, as well as puncheur riders who will be able to handle the undulating hills that the peloton will continuously face throughout the stage.
The punchy climbs the riders will be facing do not end at the finish either. Stage 3 will end with a category 3 climb up to the Longwy Citadel. In the last 2 km, the riders will climb 100 m on around a 6% grade to the finish line at the Cote de Religieuses.
Philippe Gilbert is expected to be the favorite to capture the stage victory, but a host of other riders will be looking to cross the line first in Longwy.
Bora-Hansgrohe's Peter Sagan will undoubtedly be looking for his first Tour de France stage win of 2017. Sagan was only able to cross the line on Stage 2 in 10th after a bunch sprint, and would have the pure power to attack the final climb in Longwy on Stage 3.
Stage 3 will also be a stage that favors Bahrain-Merida rider Sonny Colbrelli. Colbrelli finished 6th in Liege during Stage 2, and currently sits in 4th in the points classification for the green jersey. The Italian rider is a veteran of the Giro d'Italia, but is riding in his first Tour de France in 2017. Through the first two stages, Colbrelli appears intent on placing himself as a top contender and rider to be feared going forward.
Riders such as BMC's Stefan Kung, Team Lotto NL-Jumbo's Jos van Emden, and Team Sky's Michal Kwiatkowski are all suited for the rolling hills and punchy climbs of Wallonia and Luxembourg, and could end up victorious on Stage 3 as well.
Stage 3 will depart from Verviers at 12:25 local time.
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