Stage 3: Santa Fiora - Assisi (142km)
Ben Ward
Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo)
Our Top Banana winner from La Course, the Italian has been on super super-domestique form for Lizzie Deignan in the races so far. With a punchy finish after a long flat, I'm hoping that her team repay her sterling work so far to aid her to a well-deserved stage win.
Olivia Kaferly
Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon SRAM Racing)
The frustration of choosing the 4th place finisher two days in a row is only compounded by the fact we’re forced to live-follow the race via out-of-order tweets.
With a performance like Annemiek van Vleuten’s on day two, it’ll be hard not to choose her for everything but the sprint stages.
Nevertheless, I’ll bet on the fact she’ll want to keep some energy in reserve for the more mountainous stages to come, and instead tip Katarzyna Niewiadoma for victory on stage 3. She’s obviously feeling fit and that sharp climb at the end should suit her aggressiveness.
Andy McGrath
Lizzy Banks (Equipe Paule Ka)
Call me crazy, but the women's Giro bunch can't keep racing every day like it's a one-dayer. Order will come in now Van Vleuten is in front, and I can see a break having more of a chance. Step forward Lizzy Banks.
Hannah Walker
Marianne Vos (CCC-Liv)
Stage 3 has all the climbing in the first 80km of the race and only a few lumps and bumps to get over in the next 55km. In the finale, the steepest section in the last 800m is 13%, the peloton has to navigate a narrow road too.
Combine this with the experience Vos has, her ability to maintain a high explosive power and the strong team she has around her, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio and Soraya Paladin particularly, I think she can take a record 26 Giro Rosa stage victories.
Without live coverage, it doesn't get better than this. Sean Hardy's video from the day 1 TTT with Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling:
