An intermediate sprint caused tension among the favorites twenty kilometers from the finish line. GC leader Magnus Cort made up six seconds and eventually had five other riders on his wheel. Foss was also alert and joined in. In no time, the sextet had built up a slight lead of half a minute.

This drove the teams that had missed the battle to the limit. The peloton managed to get together in the final kilometre. Cort and Foss were the first to start their sprint. For a long time, the Norwegian was in a promising position for a podium finish but was overtaken by some fast men just before the finish line, while the Dane cleverly stayed out of danger.

"A long day with a treacherous end", Foss described the third stage of the Portuguese stage race. "With twenty kilometres to go, we knew there was a chance to get some bonus seconds. As a team, we were well prepared. A lot of other guys had the same plans. We went off with a strong group. It looked good for a long time, but the peloton caught us in the last kilometre. I was still on Cort's wheel at the start of the sprint. But I was surprised that he started the sprint so early. He beat me and the others on value. Nevertheless, I had a good day. The shape is good, and the legs are strong. That's promising for the next two stages."