Stage 3 of the Tour de Suisse Women ended with an eighth-place finish for Karlijn Swinkels in the sprint won by Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto) in Bad Ragaz after 120.8 kilometres of racing.
For UAE Team ADQ, the main objective of the day was to protect race leader Elisa Longo Borghini and guide her safely into the final three kilometres, where general classification times were neutralised. Thanks to a strong collective performance, the team executed the plan perfectly.
With the yellow jersey safely out of danger, the team’s focus shifted to the stage finale. In the closing kilometres, Longo Borghini herself worked for her Dutch teammate, helping Swinkels secure a solid top-10 result on the day.
In the overall standings, Longo Borghini continues to lead the race with an advantage of 25 seconds over Lauren Dickson (FDJ-SUEZ) and 35 seconds over Sarah Van Dam (Team Visma | Lease a Bike).
Attention now turns to the highly anticipated Stage 4 individual time trial, a 23.7-kilometre test starting and finishing in Aarburg, which could prove decisive in the battle for the overall victory.
(ph. @facepeeters)
