Marianne Vos Sprints to Victory in Stage 3 of Vuelta Femenina as Kata Blanka Vas Holds Overall Lead

Marianne Vos of Visma Lease a Bike won stage three of the Vuelta Femenina in Teruel, Spain, with a powerful sprint finish on Tuesday. The 36-year-old Dutch rider crossed the line ahead of compatriot Charlotte Kool of DSM Firmenich PostNL and Canadian Olivia Baril of Movistar.

The 131-kilometer medium mountain stage featured a Category 3 ascent and over 2,000 meters of total climbing. Mireia Benito of AG Insurance Soudal made a solo breakaway move 85 kilometers into the race, building up a lead of over 5 minutes at one point. However, Benito was eventually caught by the chasing peloton with around 7 kilometers remaining.

In the final sprint, Liane Lippert opened up the sprint, but Vos was able to surge around her after a strong lead-out from teammate Riejanne Markus. Vos launched her sprint with 150 meters to go and powered to the stage three victory. "Very happy, and satisfied," Vos said after the finish. "All the girls worked really hard for this."

Despite Vos' stage win, Hungarian Kata Blanka Vas of SD Worx Protime maintained the overall race lead by just one second. Vas picked up two bonus seconds at the stage's intermediate sprint to keep her slim advantage in the general classification. Vos sits second overall, with stage two winner Alison Jackson of Canada in third place.

The stage was marked by several crashes in the peloton, but Vos and her team were able to avoid them. Vos will wear the green points classification jersey on Wednesday's stage 4.

Why this matters: Vos' stage victory and close margin to Vas in the general classification sets up an exciting battle for the overall title in the remaining stages of the Vuelta Femenina. As one of the most successful cyclists in history, Vos' pursuit of another major stage race victory at age 36 is a testament to her enduring talent and drive.

After three stages, Vas leads Vos by a single second, with the top five riders separated by just 11 seconds. Jackson, who won stage 2 and held the points jersey, dropped out of the top 10 overall after losing time in the finale. The Vuelta Femenina, one of the most prestigious stage races in women's cycling, continues with stage 4 on Wednesday, a hilly 118.9-kilometer route from Cuenca to Guadalajara.

Key Takeaways

• Marianne Vos won stage 3 of the Vuelta Femenina with a powerful sprint finish.
• Kata Blanka Vas of SD Worx Protime maintained the overall race lead by 1 second.
• Vos sits 2nd overall, with stage 2 winner Alison Jackson of Canada in 3rd.
• The race saw several crashes in the peloton, but Vos and her team avoided them.
• The top 5 riders are separated by just 11 seconds, setting up an exciting battle.