2023 Tour de France Femmes Stage 3 Results & Recap
Stage 3 of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
Wiebes wins stage 3
Lorena Wiebes (SDW) won stage 3 of the Tour de France Femmes after a nail-biting sprint finish against Lotte Kopecky (SDW) and Marianne Vos (JVW). Vos took second, with the yellow jersey claiming a close third. The sprinters swallowed up Julie Van De Velde (FED) just metres before the line - heartbreak for the solo breakaway rider who was off the front for the majority of the second half of the stage.
"I didn’t think too much," Wiebes said. "The most important is to have full trust in your lead-out and that’s how I feel with Lotte [Kopecky]. We went into the last corner and I realised we were gonna catch Julie [Van de Velde]. Lotte was pulling really fast and hard. I was also looking to the side of the road to see the distance to the finish and when Marianne [Vos] went, I also went and I’m happy to win like that. We felt it was not up to us to start the chase because hard days are coming and we don’t our teammates to give their whole now and not play a part in the GC battle. I also know DSM from riding with them last year and I had a feeling they would commit to the chase for Charlotte [Kool]. Sometimes, you have to gamble. We also found ourselves in this situation many times where we had to lead the chase. It’s part of the game."
Lotte Kopecky (SDW) is still in the yellow jersey heading into tomorrow's stage - the longest of this year's edition.
"Julie [Van de Velde] was very strong and it was nice to see but in the end, it’s always hard for a lone leader out for so long against the peloton," Kopecky said. "I tried to stay calm, because if I got nervous, so would have Lorena [Wiebes]. In the final corner, I could see Julie and I went on instinct. I just felt I had to go and I felt really good. Lorena passed me, I kept going, she won, and I got 3rd, it’s really nice. We’re having a very special year. And everything is going great in this Tour. I don’t mind doing a bit more effort to help my teammates. Demi [Vollering] is well positioned in GC, we have two victories, a place of 2nd, the green jersey… But in the end, having the yellow on the final day is most important and we focus on that."
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