Danish rider Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig outmuscled Marianne Vos to win stage three of the women’s Tour de France on Tuesday but the veteran Dutch rider held on to the yellow jersey. The day after a nightmare stage two for her FDJ-Suez team, marked by the abandonment of title contender Marta Cavalli, Ludwig battled back from a fall to produce a vintage performance amid the Champagne vineyards.

After two relatively flat rides, the peloton had to face its first climbs as they took on a hilly 83 mile course from Reims to Epernay. Eleven riders slugged it out over the final miles, with Vos working hard to rejoin the leaders after being dropped. The 35-year-old, who took over the yellow jersey with victory in stage two on Monday, kicked hard but it was the younger legs of 26-year-old Ludwig who powered to the line first.

“I wanted to help the team, keep my ‘fighting spirit’,” said Ludwig who was wearing the Danish champion jersey.

“I knew that if I had the legs, I could play for victory. But from there to do it, to become a winner of a stage in the Tour de France and with this jersey… My God, what more could you ask for.”

Team Jumbo-Visma’s Vos finished two seconds behind, closely shadowed by South African Ashleigh Moolman, Italians Silvia Persico and Elisa Longo Borghini and Pole Katarzyna Niewiakoma.

Vos leads the general classification with a 16-second lead over Valcar’s Persico and Niewiakoma of Canyon. The eight-stage race ends on Sunday.

TOUR DE FRANCE FEMMES 2022 STAGE 3 RESULTS

1	Cecilie LUDWIG	FDJ – SUEZ – Futuroscope	3:22:54
2	Marianne VOS	Team Jumbo-Visma	0:02
3	Ashleigh MOOLMAN	Team SD Worx	0:02
4	Silvia PERSICO	Valcar – Travel & Service	0:02
5	Elisa LONGO BORGHINI	Trek – Segafredo	0:02
6	Katarzyna NIEWIADOMA	Canyon//SRAM Racing	0:02
7	Mavi GARCÍA	UAE Team ADQ	0:06
8	Demi VOLLERING	Team SD Worx	0:08
9	Juliette LABOUS	Team DSM	0:11
10	Annemiek VAN VLEUTEN	Movistar Team	0:20

TOUR DE FRANCE FEMMES 2022 STANDINGS

1	Marianne VOS	Team Jumbo-Visma	8:30:36
2	Silvia PERSICO	Valcar – Travel & Service	0:16
3	Katarzyna NIEWIADOMA	Canyon//SRAM Racing	0:16
4	Elisa LONGO BORGHINI	Trek – Segafredo	0:21
5	Ashleigh MOOLMAN	Team SD Worx	0:51
6	Mavi GARCÍA	UAE Team ADQ	0:55
7	Demi VOLLERING	Team SD Worx	0:57
8	Juliette LABOUS	Team DSM	1:05
9	Annemiek VAN VLEUTEN	Movistar Team	1:14
10	Cecilie LUDWIG	FDJ – SUEZ – Futuroscope	1:48

 

RBA/AFP Photos: Sprint Cycling Agency