Baloise Ladies Tour: Zoe Bäckstedt takes stunning solo victory on stage 3 metres ahead of chasing pack
British rider attacked alongside second-place Marie Schreiber in final kilometres on the first of today's two stages

Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM Zondacrypto) took a spectacular solo victory in Maldegem on stage 3 of the Baloise Ladies Tour, holding off a charging peloton by only metres from a two-rider attack in the closing kilometres.
Bäckstedt followed a move from Margaux Vigié (Team Visma–Lease a Bike) with only 2.3km to go to the finish of today's two-stage day (with this morning's stage designated 3a on the UCI calendar). She dropped the Team Visma–Lease a Bike rider and was joined by Marie Schreiber (Team SD Worx–Protime) for a final 2km two-up time trial in the shadow of a charging peloton.
The momentum briefly sapped out of the chase with just over 1km remaining, which gave Schreiber and Bäckstedt a brief window to extend their gap before charging onto a shallow ascent to the final sprint.
Bäckstedt took the stage by a handful of metres, while Schreiber narrowly held off the charging sprint trains to take second from teammate Barbara Guarischi (Team SD Worx–Protime).
"It was a different day compared to the last road stages," Bäckstedt said following the race finish. "Super short, which I think suits me quite well.
"In that last lap, there were a lot of attacks, and with only two of us in the front group, I had to follow everything. I saw a rider from Team Visma–Lease a Bike go up the road with about 2.5 kilometres to go, and I thought, 'This is the only chance,'" she said.
"A small thank you to Marie for helping me keep the gap out a little bit. I'm really happy," she added.
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Asked if she thought she could make it a third victory at the race with an ITT victory this evening, Bäckstedt said. "I would like to try. I'd like to do my very best. The way my legs are feeling, I think it's possible. But we have to see what the rest of the day brings first.
"It's going to be hard," she added, "especially with this heat. I think it's going to make a lot of people really tired by the end of the day, and especially then for tomorrow as well. But it's part of a stage race, so we have to do it."
The day was predictably animated given its short 93km profile, with multiple attacks from the start and a resilient breakaway containing Marion Norbert Riberolle (VolkerWessels Cycling Team), Sterre Vervloet (Lotto Ladies), Marieke Meert (VolkerWessels Cycling Team) and Clara Lundmark (Team Hess Cycling Team).
They were pulled in with 14km remaining, and Femke Markus (Team SD Worx–Protime) made several audacious attacks following the catch, but only Bäckstedt's final effort managed to make an attack stick.
The race will continue this evening with a 10.4km individual time trial.
Results
Results powered by FirstCycling

Peter Stuart has been the editor of Cyclingnews since March 2022, overseeing editorial output across all of Cyclingnews' digital touchpoints.
Before joining Cyclingnews, Peter was the digital editor of Rouleur magazine. Starting life as a freelance feature writer, with bylines in The Times and The Telegraph, he first entered cycling journalism in 2012, joining Cyclist magazine as staff writer. Peter has a background as an international rower, representing Great Britain at Under-23 level and at the Junior Rowing World Championships.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
'Hazardous weather outlook' issued Saturday for US region where Big Sugar Gravel plans to crown champions for Life Time Grand Prix
Contingency plan from organisers includes shortening route and delaying morning starts if weather is severe -
'I should have stopped the team last year' - Belgian ProTeam Wagner Bazin WB to end as sponsor hunt fails
Team founded as Wallonie Bruxelles in 2011 to disband -
Tour de France 2026 – All the route rumours ahead of the official presentation
The details we know about next summer's men's Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes -
Best indoor cycling shoes 2025: Fast and cool shoes for indoor cycling
The best indoor cycling shoes need to be adjustable, feature lots of ventilation and deliver plenty of pedal power. Here's our favourite options