Once the flag is dropped the route goes uphill and after 14.9 kilometres the route moves through to Altube. Only the last 2.5 kilometres are relatively steep.
The riders traverse a plateau for 50 kilometres before La Tejera appears. Again, nothing special – 3.5 kilometres long and averaging 4%. Following some minor climbs the route descends to a promising finale with 45 kilometres remaining.
The last 20 kilometres feature three climbs, the first of which is perfect to stretch the legs. The descent runs straight onto the Malkuartu climb. The length is 2.5 kilometres and the average gradient 6.7%, but this is a biased statistic, as the first kilometre goes up at 10.7% before the slope evens out to 4%.
A fast descent leads onto the next Wall. The finish climb is 3.1 kilometres long and the average gradient of this narrow road through the woods sits at 11.1%. But again, this is just half the story. The first kilometre slopes at 10.7%, the second at 15.6%, and the rest of the ascent hovers around 7%.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while two intermediate sprints – at kilometre 101.4 and 144.9 – come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
Another interesting read: live race report 3rd stage 2021 Tour of the Basque Country.
Tour of the Basque Country 2021 stage 3: route, profile, more
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