Tour of Britain Women 2024 - Stage 3: Wiebes has everything under control again in the bunch sprint

Once again, Wiebes left no doubt that she is currently the best sprinter in road cycling. By some distance. If it comes to a bunch sprint this season, it must be the devil's own doing for another name to be at the top of the day's classification if the 25-year-old Dutchwoman is involved.

She proved this once again around Warrington in the north of England between Manchester and Liverpool. Her former rival Charlotte Kool (dsm-firmenich PostNL) came within one bike length of her. But Wiebes almost rolled out by then. Georgia Baker (Liv Jayco AlUla) finished third.

>> All stages of the 2024 Women's Tour of Britain at a glance

>> The women's cycling race calendar 2024

"It was a very fast final. When it was 200 metres to go, I thought 'Oh, I'll have to start my sprint'," said Wiebes in the winner's interview, hinting that things don't necessarily have to go perfectly to celebrate victories. In England, things are going well for Wiebes and her team anyway. Wiebes had already won all three stages of the RideLondon Classique and thus also the overall classification. Team-mate Lotte Kopecky took the lead in the first two stages of the Tour of Britain, which until last year was still organised under the name Women's Tour. She continues to lead the overall standings

Tour of Britain Women 2024 - Results: the top 10 of stage 3

1. Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx - Protime) 2:44:42
2. Charlotte Kool (dsm - firmenich PostNL) +0:00
3. Georgia Baker (Liv Jayco AlUla) +0:00
4. Rachele Barbieri (dsm-firmenich PostNL) +0:00
5. Flora Perkins (Great Britain) +0:00
6. Marjolein van't Geloof (Hess Cycling Team) +0:00
7. Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx - Protime) +0:00
8. Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco) +0:00
9. Roxanne Fournier (St. Michel - Mavic - Auber93) +0:00
10. Alicia Gonzalez (Lifeplus Wahoo) +0:00

The overall standings

1. Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx - Protime) 10:25:49
2. Anna Henderson (Great Britain) +0:17
3. Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco) +0:32
4. Pfeiffer Georgi (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) +0:38
5. Eline Jansen (VolkerWessels Women's Pro Cycling Team) +0:43
6. Elizabeth Deignan (Great Britain) +0:43
7. Christine Majerus (Team SD Worx - Protime) +0:43
8. Victorie Guilman (St Michel - Mavic - Auber93 WE) +0:43
9. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco) +3:00
10. Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx - Protime) +4:19

How the 3rd stage of the Tour of Britain Women went

On the 106 kilometres around Warrington, the riders were only faced with two smaller category 3 climbs. However, they did not have the potential to break up the field. And so it was the two British breakaway riders Jo Tindley (Pro-Noctis - 200° Coffee - Hargreaves Contracting) and Madelaine Leech (Lifeplus - Wahoo) who dominated most of the stage as escape companions.

However, Leech dropped back after a technical defect and from then on rode alongside Lucy Lee (DAS - Hutchinson - Brother - UK), who had previously been a soloist in the chase. However, the two chasers were caught by the peloton 25 kilometres from the finish and Tindley's escape was also over twelve kilometres from the finish. Valerie Demey (VolkerWessels Women's Pro Cycling Team) was another rider who tried to escape, but she had to abandon with eight kilometres to go.

Led by dsm and SD Worx, the field covered the rest of the day in a closed pack before Wiebes was once again unbeatable in the sprint.