Defending champion Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) proved strongest in the opening time trial to take the red jersey while Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) claimed stage two honours, out-sprinting rivals Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-QuickStep) and Australian Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange).
And with a relatively calm first two days in the rearview, the 202 kilometre journey from Santo Domingo de Silos to the summit of the gargantuan Picón Blanco looms as a huge early test for the field of riders.
A familiar climb to participants of the Vuelta a Burgos, the brutally tough 7.6 kilometre, 9.3 gradient ascent will make its inaugural appearance at the Spanish Grand Tour as the first summit finish since La Covatilla's finale in stage 9 of the 2018 edition.
The stage is set for the red jersey hopefuls to bring out the big guns and make an assault on Roglic's overall lead with significant time gaps a serious possibility.
Profile of Stage 3 of the 2021 Vuelta a Espana. Source: ASO
In top form following his Olympic time trial gold last month, the Slovenian revealed he anticipates just that on a climb that will command every ounce of his energy.
"From what I can see it’s a super hard climb, we will have to give it everything," Roglic said after finishing safely inside the peloton in Stage 2.
"The stage will be nervous again, too, as it could be windy on the flatter part of the course, and then on the climb we can expect some time gaps between the GC guys."
While Stage 3 will be Roglic's first tangle with the Picón Blanco, Frenchman Romain Bardet (Team DSM) knows it all too well, having led the peloton over the summit in this year's Vuelta a Burgos before a crash on the descent shattered his winning hopes.
After a strong time trial and solid stage two put him 11th in GC, Bardet is hoping his legs can hold out on the brutal slopes of the climb to make up more ground to top spot.
“It’s certainly a very particular climb, but in the end it’s still the legs that make the difference," he said following stage 2. "The gradients are steep and it’s going to be very hot, but on a climb like that, it’s the legs that really make the difference.
“It’s going to be special, because the first summit finish of a Grand Tour always is, and I think it will be ridden very fast. Roglič already has the jersey and I think he’ll want to win up there too. Tomorrow will be the first big battle.”
A seasoned climber and podium finisher in last year's Vuelta, Hugh Carthy (EF Education Nippo) lost almost 40 seconds after a crash in stage two, but remains optimistic about his chances to make up ground in the mountains despite now sitting 76th overall.
“Hopefully it’ll be a hot, hard day and I can do something in the end,” Carthy said about stage 3.
“We did it a couple of weeks ago in the Vuelta a Burgos and I think it’s a climb that suits me.”
The Vuelta a España continues with the first summit finish of this year's race, Stage 3 to Picon Blanco. Watch the race LIVE on SBS VICELAND and SBS ON Demand from 2300 AEST, with the TourTracker stream starting slightly earlier at 2250 AEST.
