Lorena Wiebes has prevailed in a chaotic sprint to claim victory in the third stage of the Tour de France Femmes, edging fellow Dutch rider Marianne Vos who took the overall lead after a 163.5km ride from La Gacilly to Angers.
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See subscription optionsSprint specialist Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), who narrowly lost stage two to Mavi Garcia, made an explosive push for the finish as a crash 3.7 km from the finish temporarily took out several riders including 2023 champion Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez).
Opening stage winner Vos (Visma–Lease a Bike) lost a photo-finish to Wiebes but thanks to the six-second pace bonus reclaimed the yellow jersey from Kim Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal), who led the general classification after Sunday's second stage but dropped to second with that six-second deficit.
New Zealand's Ally Wollaston (FDJ-Suez) finished third.
Wollaston's teammate Vollering, who recovered from the crash but had to be helped to the finish by teammates, is now sixth in the general classification, sitting 19 seconds behind Vos, still in contention assuming she has recovered from any injuries sustained in her fall.
"It was very hectic... I think when we went right on to the river there was a big crash behind me. I hope everyone is well," Vos said.
Sara Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal) was the first Australian over the line on Monday, placed 77th with the bulk of the peloton given the same time as the winner, the crash having been inside the final 5km. Gigante is 19th overall, 45 seconds behind Vos.
The stage, mostly on a flat terrain, began without Giro d'Italia winner Elisa Longo Borghini, who withdrew from the race due to a stomach infection.
Four riders made an early attack to form the leading pack, with Alison Jackson (EF Education-Oatly) winning a mountain sprint to the top of Cote de La Richardiere.
But others slowly caught up, with Lotte Kopecky expertly leading her teammate Wiebes to the front, setting up the final sprint just before the crash derailed a number of riders behind them leaving a group of just over 20 to contest the final sprint..
The Tour continues on Tuesday with stage four, a 130.7km ride from Saumur to Poitiers through another mostly-flat terrain.
Australian Associated Press
