The third stage of the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas brought the expected preliminary decision in the battle for overall victory. Marlen Reusser from Team Movistar prevailed on the demanding mountain stage with the finish at Picón Blanco and took the lead in the overall standings. The Swiss rider attacked on the last climb and rode to a superior solo victory. After 95.6 kilometres, she crossed the finish line 40 seconds ahead of Dutch rider Yara Kastelijn. Elisa Longo Borghini from Italy finished third, 1:17 minutes behind. The stage led from Soncillo over three categorised climbs to the finale on the 8.2-kilometre Picón Blanco. This final climb with an average gradient of 9.1 per cent provided the decisive selection. For a long time, a seven-man breakaway group dominated the race, but was caught by the peloton at the foot of the final climb. There, the favourites initially took command before Reusser launched the decisive attack around five kilometres before the finish.
Reusser demonstrates strength on the final climb
The 32-year-old time trial specialist steadily extended her lead with an impressive solo ride. Behind her, Kastelijn and Longo Borghini fought for the other podium places, but were unable to close the gap significantly. It was Reusser's first stage win at the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas and also her first success at WorldTour level in almost two years. The new overall leader is now 1:10 minutes ahead of Kastelijn and 1:43 minutes ahead of Longo Borghini. The previous leader Mie Bjørndal Ottestad dropped back to ninth place overall.
Decision in the battle for overall victory
With her convincing performance on the Picón Blanco, Reusser has the best chance of winning the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas. The final fourth stage on Sunday leads over 121.5 kilometres from Villadiego to Burgos and has an undulating profile. Although there are still a few climbs to tackle, Reusser's lead should be enough to defend the overall lead. The Swiss rider could thus celebrate her greatest success in a stage race to date. In her career, she has already won stages at the Tour de France Femmes and the Vuelta a España, and now her first overall victory in a WorldTour stage race beckons. Her strongest rivals Kastelijn and Longo Borghini will try everything again on the final day, but Reusser's cushion seems comfortable. In addition to the battle for overall victory, there will also be excitement in the secondary classifications on Sunday. Reusser now leads the mountains classification ahead of Longo Borghini, while Lorena Wiebes will defend the points jersey. Linda Zanetti is ahead in the junior classification. The 9th edition of the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas ends on Sunday with an exciting finale in Burgos.
Race result: Top 10 of the 3rd stage
- Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team) 2:47:35
- Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck) - +0:40
- Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) - +1:17
- 4th Amanda Spratt (Lidl - Trek) - +1:22
- Petra Stiasny (Roland) - +1:25
- Elise Chabbey (FDJ - SUEZ) - +1:30
- Valentina Cavallar (Arkéa - B&B Hotels Women) - +1:34
- Ségolène Thomas (St Michel - Mavic - Auber93 WE) - +1:39
- Barbara Malcotti (Human Powered Health) - +1:48
- Juliette Labous (FDJ - SUEZ) - +2:05
