Emakumeen Bira: Pieters wins stage 3

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Amy Pieters (Boels Dolmans) won stage 3 of the Emakumeen Bira, outsprinting Emilia Fahlin (Wiggle High5) and Clara Koppenburg (Cervélo Bigla) as a breakaway of ten riders held off the peloton by two minutes. Annemiek van Vleuten (Mitchelton Scott) narrowly held onto the race lead.

With three classified climbs on its 114.5 kilometres, stage 3 contained a decent amount of climbing. Additionally, there were two short, steep, but unclassified climbs in the last 25km before a descent to the stage finish in Aretxabaleta. Grey skies loomed over the Basque Country during the day, and it rained for much of the stage.

Like the first day, there was no breakaway for a good part of the stage. Eri Yonamine (Wiggle High5) and Anna Trevisi (Alé Cipollini) got away after 30km, but were caught very soon. The peloton started the first classified climb together as the rain started to come down.

The five kilometres at six percent took their toll, and only 30-40 riders were still in the first group at the top. This group was reduced even further to some 20 riders on the descent and the next climb that immediately followed. Passing the finish line with 70km done and 44.5km still to go, the first group had grown to 41 riders again.

Ten riders got away from this peloton in the run-in to the third classified climb. With Pauliena Rooijakkers, Anouska Koster (both WaowDeals), Ane Santesteban (Alé Cipollini), Alicia González (Movistar Team), Georgia Williams (Mitchelton Scott), Demi De Jong (Lotto Soudal Ladies), Maria Novolodskaya (Cogeas-Mettler), Fahlin, Pieters, and Koppenburg, this breakaway contained riders from most of the big teams in the race.

Combined with the persistent rain, this made the peloton take it easy for a while, and the break's advantage quickly grew to four minutes which made Williams the virtual leader on the road. Rooijakkers attacked near the top of the eight-kilometre climb and went solo. Although the classified climbs were behind her, the two unclassified ascents still lay in Rooijakkers' way. She stretched her advantage to 1:10 minutes on the first of those climbs with 23 km to go.

Pieters organised the chase in the group behind, and in the flat part to the final climb, they reduced their deficit to half a minute. Rooijakkers held on to a 25-second lead over the last uphill of the day and into the descent, but at the 10-kilometre mark, this was down to only ten seconds. Rooijakkers was caught with four kilometres to go, and the furious chase had made her teammate Koster lose contact with the others.

In the streets of Aretxabaleta, Pieters easily outsprinted Fahlin and Koppenburg to win the stage. The peloton had made up a substantial portion of its deficit and was led home by Lisa Brennauer (Wiggle High5) 2:01 minutes behind.

As Williams and Rooijakkers were registered with a four-second deficit at the finish, this was just enough for van Vleuten to hold onto the overall lead, a mere three seconds ahead of Williams. There are now seven riders within a minute of the leader ahead of tomorrow's final stage, promising an entertaining fight for the overall victory.

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