David Gaudu celebrates victory as Mads Pedersen (L) and Jonas Vingegaard (C) trail in behind

Ceres (Italy) (AFP) - David Gaudu took revenge on Jonas Vingegaard on Monday surging to victory in the third stage of the Vuelta Espana in Ceres, in Italy, a day after being edged by the Dane.

“That was hard,” said Gaudu at the finish.

“I finished in the top three yesterday, I won today. I would have signed up for that scenario with both hands.”

After the bonuses were totted up, the two men were tied at the top of the overall standings but Vingegaard retained the red jersey.

The day before, Vingegaard powered away from his rivals in an uphill sprint to take the overall lead. Frenchman Gaudu finished that stage third.

On Monday, at the end of a hilly 134.6 kilometre run from San Maurizio Canavese, Vingegaard was again well positioned as the pack came out of a final hairpin for a rising run to the line.

But Gaudu handled the corner better and when the Frenchman, who rides for Groupama, and Mads Pedersen, a Dane with Lidl Trek, accelerated in the home stretch, Vingegaard eased up, unable to match them.

“I got into the right wheel in the last two kilometres,” Gaudu told Eurosport. “Then Mads didn’t close the door and I took advantage of it. I probably had a little more speed.”

Vingegaard collected a four-second bonus for finishing third but Gaudu gained 10 seconds and moved level on time with the Dane.

Gaudu had not won at cycling’s World Tour level since 2023. This season after an anonymous 66th place in the Giro d’Italia, his team did not take him to the Tour de France.

“I’m so happy for the team. I’ve had a tough time this season, sometimes through my own fault, sometimes not,” said Gaudu. “But the guys always got me back on track. Raising my arms is a great reward for the team.”

- ‘Difficult day’ -

The finish completed a tough day for Vingegaard’s Visma Lease a Bike team.

They announced in the morning that 18 of their bikes had been stolen overnight from a parked truck and also that one of Vingegaard’s lieutenants Axel Zingle had been forced to drop out.

The Gazzetta Dello Sport reported that Visma lost bikes worth a total of 250,000 euros ($292,378), while Movistar and Lidl-Trek, who were staying in the same hotel near Turin, did not lose any equipment.

Zingle dislocated a shoulder the day before when he was taken down by Vingegaard as a group of riders crashed at the foot of the final climb on a rainy day.

“It was a difficult day, but in the end, I can be satisfied. Third place is good. On a finish like this, I knew I was inferior to a guy like Pedersen,” said Vingegaard.

On Tuesday, the Vuelta rolls into France on a 206.7km stage that starts in Susa in Italy, climbs over a couple of Alpine summits and then drops down to finish in Voiron near Grenoble.