Stage 3 of the Tour de France Femmes was a flat day for the sprinters but it may be one to also affect the overall classification dearly. A late crash saw Demi Vollering go down with uncertain injuries. In the front a bunch sprint took place where Lorena Wiebes beat Marianne Vos, who is back in the yellow jersey.
The 163-kilometer long stage finished in Angers and although it was a long day, it was a flat one and well adapted to the sprinters. However it wouldn’t be a calm day or a relaxed one…
In the breakaway of the day were Sara Martin, Alison Jackson, Clémence Latimier and Catalina Anais Soto. The quartet didn’t stand many chances of succeeding in the day but forced a hard pace in the peloton to keep the group under control. Soto, the final survivor of the day, was caught already inside the final 6 kilometers but soon after there was a serious crash that can potentially change the race as a whole. After the withdrawal of Elisa Longo Borghini and Marlen Reusser, Demi Vollering was involved in a high-speed crash – where she hasn’t lost time due to the 5-kilometer rule, but was visibly hurt by the fall.
In the front only a few dozen riders remained in front fighting for the stage win, and although Lorena Wiebes didn’t have her leadout, she brutalized the competition in the slight uphill sprint. She has won the stage with Marianne Vos the only one managing to follow her wheel, finishing a second place that takes her to the race lead again due to the bonifications. Several bike lengths back, Ally Wollaston was third on the day. Team SD Worx – ProTime have managed to finally take a win after what had been a disappointing start to the race with Wiebes struggling and Lotte Kopecky falling out of GC contention.