Stage 3 of the Tour de France Femmes, a demanding and unpredictable 156.5km route from Geneva to Poligny, marked the race’s return to France. At the end of the day, UAE Team L’IMAD‘s leaders all finished in the front group, while Paula Blasi successfully defended the White Jersey as the Best Young Rider for the third consecutive day.
The stage was won by Norwegian national champion Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset (Uno-X Mobility), who launched a solo attack with 88 kilometres remaining and held off the chasers to claim both the stage victory and the Yellow Jersey. Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx–Protime) finished second after an unsuccessful pursuit.
Behind the leading duo, the group of overall contenders battled on the final climb, although no significant time gaps were created. Elisa Longo Borghini responded confidently to every attack from her rivals, while Paula Blasi and Dominika Wlodarczyk briefly lost contact during the most intense phase of the climb before fighting their way back alongside Mavi Garcia. All of UAE Team L’IMAD’s key riders eventually crossed the line in the lead group, with Wlodarczyk sprinting to 11th place.
After stepping onto the podium for the third consecutive day to collect the White Jersey, Paula Blasi said: “It was another tough day and the weather was quite hot. I’m really happy to keep the White Jersey because it means a lot to me. It will be very special to wear it again tomorrow in the time trial. I’ll give everything I have to deliver a strong performance and try to hold on to it for another day.”
Tomorrow the Tour de France Femmes continues with Stage 4, a 21-kilometre individual time trial from Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon, the first major test against the clock for the general classification contenders.
(ph. Getty Sport)
