Vos increases lead after stage win in La Vuelta Femenina
Marianne Vos has won the third stage of the Vuelta Femenina. After a challenging race, the 35-year-old Jumbo-Visma rider was the fastest of a group of thirty riders. Vos increased her lead in the general classification thanks to the bonus seconds she gained.
The 158-kilometre stage from Elche de la Sierra to La Roda was a windy spectacle. After more than an hour of racing, the peloton split into three parts, with Team Jumbo-Visma in the front. A second shift ensured that around thirty riders, including Vos, Anna Henderson, Riejanne Markus and Amber Kraak, remained at the front.
Vos and Markus gained six and four significant bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint, respectively. In the final kilometre, Vos launched her sprint early and narrowly held off Kool, the winner of stage two. It was Vos' first victory of the season and her 247th overall.
"As a team, we protected and helped each other all the time"
"It feels really good. Yesterday we were close, so I wanted to do something good today. The team did everything they could to position me as well as possible, and I am very grateful to them for that. I'm really happy that I could finish it off in the sprint."
Vos says the team was prepared for echelons. "But even though you know there will be echelons, you have to stay focused all the time. In the beginning, not much happened, and it was quite relaxed. Then suddenly, the action started, and remaining in the front group was crucial. As a team, we protected and helped each other all the time. We are definitely going to enjoy this."