Marianne Vos from Babyloniënbroek won the third stage in the Vuelta Femenina in the red leader’s jersey. The Jumbo-Visma rider won the sprint against a group of about thirty women after a hard race. It was her first win of the season on the road.
It is no less than the 247th victory in the long career of the 35-year-old Vos. Due to the bonus seconds, her lead in the standings increases to 13 seconds on the American Chloé Dygert.
Yesterday Vos finished second in the second stage, behind compatriot Charlotte Kool. Today the roles were reversed and Kool sprinted to second place. Just like yesterday, Dygert finished third.
The Vuelta is going very well for the Dutch riders so far. In addition to the stage victories of Vos and Kool, there was success for Jumbo-Visma, which won the team time trial on the opening day.
Faster than schedule
The stage from Elche de la Sierra to La Roda was the longest of this Vuelta at 157 kilometers, but it didn’t seem too difficult in advance due to a lack of climbs. The riders made it a tough day. The peloton was half an hour faster than the fastest time schedule.
Due to the hard course and the wind, the peloton broke up in several echelons. Vos, who rode in the leader’s jersey after her second place yesterday, was always at the front. This also applied to, among others, world champion Annemiek van Vleuten and Demi Vollering, the woman in shape.
In the end, a group of about thirty riders sprinted for the stage victory. Vos started early and DSM rider Kool was unable to catch up with her.