Marianne Vos has won the third stage of the Vuelta Femenina in a race that could hardly have been faster or more spectacular. After a challenging day, the riders finished 40 minutes ahead of the fastest schedule as the wind blew hard. The 35-year-old Jumbo-Visma rider, Vos, was the fastest of a group of thirty riders and the strongest at the finish line in La Roda, defeating Charlotte Kool (Team DSM) and Chloe Dygert (Canyon//SRAM Racing) to claim her first individual stage win in this tour and further increase her GC lead on Dygert up to 13” thanks to the bonus seconds she gained.
The 158-kilometre stage from Elche de la Sierra to La Roda was a windy spectacle. After more than an hour of racing, the peloton split into three parts, with Team Jumbo-Visma in the front. A second shift ensured that around thirty riders, including Vos, Anna Henderson, Riejanne Markus and Amber Kraak, remained at the front.
Vos and Markus gained six and four significant bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint, respectively. In the final kilometre, Vos launched her sprint early and narrowly held off Kool, the winner of stage two. It was Vos’ first victory of the season and her 247th overall.
“It feels really good,” she admitted after the victory. “Yesterday, we were close, so I wanted to do something good today. The team did everything they could to position me as well as possible and I am very grateful to them for that. I’m really happy that I could finish it off in the sprint.”
Vos says the team was prepared for echelons. “But even though you know there will be echelons, you have to stay focused all the time. In the beginning, not much happened, and it was quite relaxed. Then suddenly, the action started, and remaining in the front group was crucial. As a team, we protected and helped each other all the time. We are definitely going to enjoy this.”
The fireworks might continue tomorrow, as the stage between Cuenca and Guadalajara is more hilly than today’s course, yet equally exposed to the wind.
Stage Result:
1. Marianne Vos (Team Jumbo-Visma) in 3h27’38’’
2. Charlotte Kool (Team DSM) at 0’’
3. Chloe Dygert (Canyon//SRAM Racing) at 0’’
General Classification:
1. Marianne Vos (Team Jumbo-Visma) in 6h26’46’’
2. Chloe Dygert (Canyon//SRAM Racing) at 13’’
3. Riejanne Markus (Team Jumbo-Visma) at 14’’
