The third day of the Giro del Trentino led the riders from Ala to Fierozzo Val dei Mocheni, covering 184 kilometers. The stage had a very hilly profile and it finished with a climb of the second category. After Cesare Benedetti and Paul Voss rode all day long in a lead group of 15 riders, Jose Mendes focused on the final climb and he finished the stage in 11th place. The stage victory went to Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R) thanks to a solo attack. He relegated Mikel Landa (Astana) and Richie Porte (Sky) to the podium places. Porte defended his lead in the general classification where Jose Mendes is now ranked as 6th.

"A very large break away group went clear and we had the goal to be part of such a big group with one rider at least. That worked out perfectly with Cesare and Paul. Both did a very good race and they stayed in the group till the penultimate climb. Sky and Colombia organized the chase in the field in order to keep the gap under control. They neutralized the break-away on the final climb. Jose, Emanuel [Buchmann] and Dominik [Nerz] had the task to save energy till the final climb, so they could try to go with the favorites. All riders rode really well - and again we saw a great team performance. The one place we lost in the general classification is not a big issue. We are still in a very promising position and of course we hope to defend it in the final stage tomorrow“, Sport Director Enrico Poitschke summarizes the stage. 

The final stage covers 162 kilometers on the way from Male to Cles. The key obstacle of the day is a climb up to the Passo Predaia on 1,250 meters. But this mountain classification has to be conquered with still 60 kilometers to go, which might neutralize a possible selection till the finale.