No one could answer Lorena Wiebes' (SD Worx-Protime) dominant sprint as she took another commanding victory on stage 3 at the Simac Ladies Tour.
The European Champion was part of a 17-rider front echelon that split off the peloton through strong crosswinds in the first 40km of the race, and that gained more than seven minutes on the rest of the peloton.
In the final sprint, Wiebes launched off the wheel of Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) and crossed the line first ahead of runner-up Megan Jastrab (Picnic PostNL) and third-placed Amalie Dideriksen (Cofidis) in Zeewolde.
With three stage wins, Wiebes extended her lead in the overall classification to Jastrab and Balsamo as the race heads into stage 4 on Friday.
"It wasn't an easy day. It broke early in the race. The wind was perfect for an echelon. At first, we thought it might be too early and that everyone would come back together, but everyone in the group in front worked well together. You could do well in the general classification. Everyone at the front now has a good chance of finishing in the top ten in the final classification. So we worked well together," Wiebes said.
"With one lap to go, the difference was four minutes. Femke Markus controlled it perfectly at the front so that I could sprint. That there were few attacks? We had already broken away early in the race, and it was a long stage with a high average speed. I think a lot of riders were already exhausted at the end. And Femke Markus and Margaux Vigié from Visma-Lease A Bike kept the pace high. That discouraged anyone from attacking. When we entered the last kilometre, everyone knew it was almost impossible to attack because we were already going so fast."
How it Unfolded
The peloton raced a 160.1km flat race in and out of Zeewolde, and as expected based on previous stages, strong winds caused major splits and echelons forming in the peloton out on the roads.
A 17-rider, front group split off the front through the windy sectors in the first 40km in Ketelbrug, which included double stage winner and overall race leader Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx–Protime), along with her Team SD Worx–Protime teammate Femke Markus.
Other riders who made the front split with multiple teammates included overall leader Lorena Wiebes and Femke Markus (Team SD Worx–Protime), Karlijn Swinkels and Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ), and Lieke Nooijen, Nienke Veenhoven, and Margaux Vigié (Team Visma–Lease a Bike).
Lone riders in the group included Nicole Steigenga (AG Insurance–Soudal Team), Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM Racing), Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck), Lily Williams (Human Powered Health), Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek), Marie Le Net (FDJ-Suez), Cat Ferguson (Movistar Team), Megan Jastrab (Team Picnic PostNL), Babette van der Wolf (EF Education-Oatly) and Amalie Dideriksen (Cofidis Women Team).
The front echelon built a more than four-minute lead on the rest of the field with 30km remaining, while Lidl-Trek, Liv-AlUla-Jayco and Uno-X Mobility did the lion's share of the work to try and manage that gap.
Inside the final 20km, attacks from the front echelon came from Jastrab, but she was quickly pulled back in by Team SD Worx–Protime and Team Visma–Lease a Bike support riders in the mix.
The attacks lulled, and the leaders settled into a collaborative pace heading into the final 10km with Wiebes positioned comfortably near the back as her teammate Markus led the group.
The pace slowed with 8km remaining, as all riders focused on Wiebes, aiming to disrupt the Team SD Worx–Protime efforts and bring her to a third consecutive win.
Team Visma–Lease a Bike's Vigié and Team SD Worx–Protime's Markus pulled the field into 5km to go, as the riders in the group prepared for both crosswinds and positioning, tossing their waterbottles on the roadside while racing toward the final stretch.
The gap blown out to more than seven minutes, the group raced onto the narrow, tree-lined roads, none attempting an attack with two kilometres remaining, and riders without teammates freelancing on the wheels of their rivals.
Steigenga jumped ahead of the last right turn with 1km to go, but she was caught before the final left turn with 500 metres to go.
Bäckstedt was the first to start her long-range sprint, but Wiebes jumped around her with Jastrab on her wheel, the pair stretching out their legs in the final 100 metres.
It was Wiebes who, again, stole the show, winning her third consecutive stage and extending her lead in the overall classification.
Results
Position |
Rider (Team) |
Time Gap |
|---|---|---|
1 |
Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx - Protime) |
3:40:01 |
2 |
Megan Jastrab (Team Picnic PostNL) |
" |
3 |
Amalie Dideriksen (Cofidis Women Team) |
" |
4 |
Nienke Veenhoven (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) |
" |
5 |
Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ) |
" |
6 |
Lily Williams (Human Powered Health) |
" |
7 |
Cat Ferguson (Movistar Team) |
" |
8 |
Babette Van Der Wolf (EF Education - Oatly) |
" |
9 |
Marie Le Net (FDJ-SUEZ) |
" |
10 |
Elisa Balsamo (Lidl - Trek) |
" |
11 |
Zoe Backstedt (Canyon//SRAM Zondacrypto) |
" |
12 |
Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck) |
" |
13 |
Margaux Vigie (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) |
" |
14 |
Lieke Nooijen (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) |
" |
15 |
Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ) |
" |
16 |
Femke Markus (Team SD Worx - Protime) |
" |
17 |
Nicole Steigenga (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) |
+0:09 |
