Vuelta a Burgos Féminas: Lorena Wiebes sprints to stage 3 victory in crash-marred finale

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Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) won stage 3 of the Vuelta a Burgos Féminas, sprinting to victory in Melgar de Fernamental more than two bike lengths ahead of Clara Copponi (Lidl-Trek) and Maike van der Duin (Canyon-SRAM).

“I was brought perfectly. It's very nice to get another win in the first stage race of the second part of this season,” said Wiebes. 

“This win makes me happy. The team did a good job. They kept the escapees under control continuously. Then, I got a good lead-out. So, it was important to finish it off. I'm happy with this win."

The stage saw a five-rider breakaway with a maximum gap of just over two minutes, but they were reeled in just within the 3km mark. 

On the downhill penultimate kilometre, a mass crash took down dozens of riders, including Évita Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ) and Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek).

The sprinters continued, and after a lead-out by Femke Gerritse, Wiebes had no trouble seeing off her challengers to win the stage. Her teammate Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) maintains the overall lead going into the final stage 4.

How it unfolded

Between the hilltop finish on stage 2 and the final GC showdown on stage 4, the 123.8-kilometre stage 3 from Roa de Duero to Melgar de Fernamental was a day for the sprinters. Although the stage included a couple of short hills, there were no classified climbs, and the last 25km were almost completely flat.

After a few ill-fated attempts to get away, first Simone Boilard (Uno-X Mobility) and then Neve Bradbury (Canyon-SRAM) attacked about 20km into the race. When Eva van Agt (Visma-Lease a Bike), Sara Martín (Movistar Team), and Antri Christoforou (Roland) bridged to the front, the break of the day was established.

They worked together well, but SD Worx-Protime controlled the race and never let the gap go out to more than 2:08 minutes with 62km to go. Christoforou was dropped from the break on one of the unclassified ascents 36km from the finish, and at the 20-kilometre mark, SD Worx-Protime had brought the peloton’s deficit down to 1:12 minutes.

UAE Team ADQ joined in at the front of the peloton ahead of a turn into crosswinds with 13km to go, but the wind wasn’t strong enough to force echelons. The breakaway rolled through the intermediate sprint at the 6km mark, but they were on borrowed time by then, only 19 seconds ahead.

A last turn by Marlen Reusser (SD Worx-Protime) reeled in the escapees with 2.8km to go, and as the sprint trains were forming, a touch of wheels led to a mass crash 1.9km from the line with more than 20 riders down on the asphalt across the three-lane road and several more held up by the crash.

Up front, Vollering kept a high pace before Simone Boilard (Uno-X Mobility) led the peloton through the last corners with 300 metres to go. Gerritse started her lead-out from Minke’s wheel, and Wiebes launched her sprint at the 200-metre sign. 

Van der Duin was on her wheel but could not match Wiebes’ acceleration and was instead passed by Copponi just before the line as Wiebes was already across the line, loosing an arrow from an imaginary bow to celebrate her victory.

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