Nederland Bloeit rider takes a victory after a second and two thirds on previous stages
Race leader Annemiek Van Vleuten (Nederland Bloeit) won the third stage of the Route de France, between Bonneval and Cloyes-sur-le-Loir. The 27-year-old Dutchwoman outsprinted the rest of a 12-woman breakaway at the end of the 115.8km stage to take the bonus seconds and increase her lead in the overall classification. Swede Sara Mustonen (Hitec Products UCK) finished second, with Briton Lizzie Armitstead (Cervélo TestTeam) third.
The group of riders, originally numbering 14, escaped from the peloton early in the stage. The break consisted of: Van Vleuten and Loes Gunnewijk (both Nederland Bloeit), Mustonen, Armitstead, Sarah Düster and Charlotte Becker (all Cervélo TestTeam), Judith Arndt, Ina Teutenberg and Ina Teutenberg (all HTC-Columbia), Martina Bras (Gauss-RDZ-Ormu), Olga Zabelinskaya (Safi-Pasta Zara), Amanda Spratt (Australia), Tatiana Antoshina (Team Valdarno) and Anne Samplonius (Canada).
With riders like yesterday’s stge winner Marianne Vos (Nederland Bloeit) absent from the group, and with HTC-Columbia and the Cervélo TestTeam both well represented, the two strong teams worked hard to build a decent gap.
Having done so much work for team leader Arndt, Teutenberg and Visser sat up towards the end of the stage. At the finish Van Vleuten was able to use her superior sprint to take a victory to add to her second place in the prologue and third places on stages 1 and 2. It was also the second consecutive stage to go to the green and white Nederland Bloeit team after Vos’ win the day before.
Teutenberg and Visser finished 2’01” behind Van Vleuten, with the peloton led home by Kirsty Broun (Australia) at 3’09”.
Van Veluten now leads prologue winner Duster by 21 seconds, with Thüringen-Rundfahrt winner Zabelinskaya 28 seconds back in third.
Tomorrow’s stage will be a 24.3km time trial in Saint-Georges-sur-Baulche, where the overall classification could change considerably. German time trial champion Arndt currently sits in fifth place, just 39 seconds behind, and will be looking to take time.
Result stage 3
1. Annemiek Van Vleuten (Ned) Nederland Bloeit
2. Sara Mustonen (Swe) Hitec Products UCK
3. Elizabeth Armitstead (GBr) Cervélo TestTeam
4. Judith Arndt (Ger) HTC-Columbia
5. Martine Bras (Ned) Gauss-RDZ-Ormu
6. Olga Zabelinskaya (Rus) Safi-Pasta Zara
7. Sarah Düster (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam
8. Amanda Spratt (Aus) Australian National Team
9. Loes Gunnewijk (Ned) Nederland Bloeit @ 5s
10. Tatiana Antoshina (Rus) Team Valdarno @ 14s
Standings after stage 3
1. Annemiek Van Vleuten (Ned) Nederland Bloeit
2. Sarah Düster (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam @ 21s
3. Olga Zabelinskaya (Rus) Safi-Pasta Zara @ 28s
4. Elizabeth Armitstead (GBr) Cervélo TestTeam @ 34s
5. Judith Arndt (Ger) HTC-Columbia @ 39s