Hello and welcome to live coverage of stage 3 of the Vuelta a Espana, a 158km rude from Mijas to Malaga that features the Cat.1 Puerto del Leon climb slam-bang in the middle but could well conclude with a sprint finish on the Costa del Sol.

Vuelta a España

Stage 3 | Semi mountain | Men | 24.08.2015

Completed

MijasMálaga

Live

Live Updates

ByThe Editorial Team

Updated 24/08/2015 at 16:25 GMT

All
Highlights

0km

So, after 780 winless days, Sagan finally gets another Grand Tour stage win... perhaps it will open the floodgates? Be sure to return tomorrow for live coverage of stage four... Adios!

0km

No change in the overall standings with Chaves retaining his five-second lead over Dumoulin, and Roche in third place at 15 seconds.

0km

Degenkolb leads it out first but Sagan powers through and holds off Bouhanni for the win!

1km

Last kilometre and all the big guns are there...

2km

And it's Giant-Alpecin who have taken it up for Degenkolb coming out of a tunnel... LottoNL-Jumbo there too.

2.5km

Many riders have dropped back now after a very technical section peppered with road furniture.

4km

The downhill and a succession of tight bends has really stretched out the peloton as they pass by Malaga's football stadium.

5.5km

It's very fast now with the GC boys mobbing the front and trying to keep out of trouble ahead of the magic 3km marker. Movistar are currently seting the tempo.

7km

All the teams are beginning to form and Cousin has been caught and passed. The pace is high now that it's heading downhill again. Cannondale-Garmin were there but faded, ditto Katusha.

9km

The Europcar rider is Jerome Cousin, who enters a tunnel with a handful of seconds over the peloton.

10km

It's bunched up again as the riders tackle this climb, which is currently on a piece of raised dual carriageway. Astana, Sky and Tinkoff-Saxo are all on the front as a Europcar rider jumps clear...

11km

Trek Factory Racing team director Dirk De Mol: "It's all for Danny Van Poppel today. It's a stage that suits him perfectly. In case he didn't feel well, we also have Jasper Stuyven who can try and compete in the final sprint."

12km

The first section of that climb has been done and we're onto a little downhill stretch ahead of the next rise. The pace is high with numerous riders tailed off.

14km

It's all over after Tjallingii is caught - and passed - by the peloton, and even that man Bennati with his gammy hip. The climb is coming up.

15km

And then there was one... Gougeard decides that enough is enough and leaves Tjallingii to his own solo devices. The Dutchman is a determined soul but it's surely all in vain today.

16km

The gap is 35 seconds for the two leaders so it looks like the inevitable will happen soon.

18km

We're approaching that uncategorised climb ahead of the fast finale. We didn't mention it, but Nairo Quintana had a bike swap about 10km back - but he's back with the peloton.

20km

Fraile, Chavanel, Berhane and Pedraza are caught, so it's just Gougeard and Tjallingii out ahead.

22km

The pack is all bunched up again, with Tinkoff-Saxo still doing the lion's share of the work. Peter Sagan has not won a stage on a Grand Tour for over two years - since the 2013 Tour. Will that change today?

28km

Bennati is displaying some nasty road rash on his hip after that crash on the roundabout with Bouhanni earlier. There's quite a headwind as the riders zip up the coast alongside a series of very volcanic-looking sandy beaches.

123