The Danish cycling holidays continue with the Tour de France Femmes. Two days after Jonas Vingegaard’s overall victory in the men’s category, his compatriot Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig won the third stage of the women’s edition.
After 133.6 kilometers from Reims to Épernay, the 26-year-old Danish champion, who had fallen badly the day before, prevailed in a leading group in the sprint ahead of the Dutch winner of the previous day, Marianne Vos, and Ashleigh Moolman (South Africa). The German champion Liane Lippert finished 13th in the daily standings, 2:01 minutes behind.
“Now I’m a stage winner”
“It feels like a super comeback after yesterday. Now I’m a stage winner of the Tour de France,” said Uttrup Ludwig in tears after the stage. The Dane had a bad fall the day before, like her Italian teammate and co-favorite Marta Cavalli. Cavalli suffered a traumatic brain injury. Germany’s track cycling team world champion Laura üßmilch broke two vertebrae in the heavy mass fall.
Vos, meanwhile, defended the yellow jersey of the overall leaders with second place. The three-time road world champion and Olympic champion from 2012 leads the Italian Silvia Persico and the Pole Katarzyna Niewiadoma by 16 seconds. Lippert moved up 13 positions to 12th overall.
The fourth stage on Wednesday leads over 126.8 undulating kilometers from Troyes to Bar-Sur-Aube.